This new biomarker, a protein called neurogranin, paves the way for a better understanding of the disease, and consequently for better treatment. It allows doctors to estimate the extent of the damage to the patient's synapses, and therefore the neuronal loss involved, which means that the disease can be detected at an earlier stage. Until now, the degree of neuronal loss has been a difficult thing to identify in Alzheimer's sufferers. The procedure, which is already used in some Swedish clinics, involves extracting sample fluid during a harmless lumbar puncture or spinal tap, which is then tested for the neurogranin protein.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the accumulation of proteins in the brain's cells, causing permanent damage to the memory and leading to the death of the patient. There is currently no available cure. Treatments target the symptoms of the disease, helping patients to cope with memory loss as the condition progresses. Nevertheless, there is reasonable hope that we will see a cure within the next 5 to 10 years. Early diagnosis of the disease will then become even more crucial in order to obtain the most effective results.

Extending and reinforcing a partnership initiated by SCOR in 2008, the SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science teamed up with the research program of the Alzheimer's Research Foundation in June 2013, signing a sponsorship agreement that committed the SCOR Corporate Foundation for Science to the payment of EUR 1 million over five years. As well as creating an annual award for young European researchers, the agreement notably enables the Research Foundation to continue to observe a cohort of patients as part of a long-term study of Alzheimer's sufferers, and to promote cooperation with foreign scientists in the field of research into this disease.

SCOR SE published this content on 15 February 2018 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
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Original documenthttps://www.scor.com/en/media/news-press-releases/5th-scor-young-european-researcher-prize-rewards-findings-alzheimers

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