WASHINGTON — Dr. Howard Federoff of the Georgetown Medical School calls this “a very exciting time.” That’s because his research team has come up with a blood test that identifies those at risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease within three years.
Today, cognitive impairment, or Alzeheimer’s, is basically treated after symptoms occur, and Dr. Federoff says that’s too late.
“There have been many efforts to develop drugs that were thought to modify the history of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Federoff says, “and sadly, all of them have failed.”
Federoff says it’s possible those drugs didn’t work because they were administered too late. And this new test could allow treatment to begin much sooner.
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