Amarantus BioScience Holdings, Inc. recently released promising results from the Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test®) blood diagnostic for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) LP-002 study. Amarantus is a biotechnology company focused on research and development of treatments and diagnostics for diseases related to neurodegenerative and apoptosis (programmed cell death) processes that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and ophthalmological disorders. In this study, the LymPro Test® enabled researchers to correctly distinguish patients with moderate-to-severe AD from healthy controls with statistically significant results. Following these positive results,Amarantus will address the potential use of LymPros in diagnosing early-stage AD patients.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by progressive loss of memory and other cognitive functions. In the United States, Alzheimer’s is the third leading cause of death, and it is estimated that more than 5.4 million people have the disease. More than 500,000 patients are diagnosed per year, where one-in-eight older Americans are affected by the disease. Alzheimer’s disease inflicts an enormous emotional and financial burden on patients, their families, and society. Alzheimer’s costs in the United States are expected to exceed $1.4 trillion in 2050. In Alzheimer’s disease, as well as in some other diseases, it is hypothesized that there is an aberrant cell cycle re-entry by neurons.
The Lymphocyte Proliferation Test (LymPro Test®) is a diagnostic blood test that measures the ability of peripheral blood lymphocytes to respond to an external mitogenic stimulation that induces them to enter the cell cycle. LymPro is unique in the use of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) as a surrogate for neuronal cell function, suggesting a common immune-based relationship between PBLs and neurons in the brain.
The Alois Alzheimer Foundation 