A group of scientists have identified 23 protein biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid that act as a neurochemical "fingerprint" of Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

"Our study is the first to use sophisticated proteomic methods to hone in on a group of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers that are specific to autopsy-proven Alzheimer's disease. Those postmortem tests confirmed that the panel is over 90 percent sensitive in identifying people with Alzheimer's disease," says Kelvin Lee, the Samuel C. and nancy M. Fleming Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology and associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell.

Since these very promising data are based on just a panel of 28 subjects (10 with AD, and 18 healthy subjects), a much larger trial is underway.

Researchers say that this proteomics-based diagnostic panel could not only aid in the early detection and diagnosis of AD, but also help in identifying and testing potential therapeutics.

[Image: Three-dimensional visualization of part of the spinal fluid protein bar code from an Alzheimer's patient, right, and from a control patient, left. The difference between bar codes can be seen as the appearance of hills and valleys. See the visualization from all sides in a QuickTime movie (2.8MB). Credits: Robert Kuczenski]