Research groups and companies are working in an innovative project for the early detection of Alzheimers.

-One of the projects INNPACTO, granted in the last examination, proposes the development of a system of in vitro diagnostics to detect premature stage Alzheimer’s disease

-the project is coordinated by Francisco Albero S.A. (FAE), manufacturer of systems and electronic parts for the car and take part Thrombotargets Europe Ltd.IMB-CSIC, Universidad de Barcelona and the CIBER-BBN, advice and collaboration of the ACE Foundation and its Director Dr. Mercè Boada

Barcelona, November 2011- last call for INNPACTO of the Ministry of science and innovation projects, has resolved favourably the implementation of project KIT-Alzheimer’s disease, a proposal for innovative court in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, which puts to work to the industry of sensors for the automotive industry with groups and companies that dedicate their efforts to research in the biomedical field and systems for clinical diagnosis.

The KIT-ALZHEIMER project has as its main goal the construction of a device for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as the monitoring of the effectiveness of potential therapies for it. In most cases, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is carried out in late stages when the cognitive and clinical symptoms are noticeable. The recovery of the dead neurons is almost impossible and can only be slow neuronal death from the rest ” points the DRA. Pillar framework, project researcher and head of the Group of nanotechnology and BioMolecular diagnosis from the Institute of advanced chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) and the biomedical research centre in network of Bioengineering, biomaterials and nanomedicine, CIBER-BBN.

The project will use the latest developments in the field of nanomedicine, with the purpose of building a diagnostic equipment in vitro, easily installable in consultation, dispensary or room of Neurology, and in different work environments. According to Francisco Ramos, of the automobile FAE: we will use our extensive experience in the production of sensors, now applied to health ”. To do so, the team of the company’s electronic spare parts for car, project coordinator, will work jointly with the Group’s chemical transducers of the National Center for Micoelectrónica of the CSIC (IMB-CNM-CSIC), responsible for the design and development, together with the NBD (IQAC, CIBER-BBN) group, the system biosensor which will be implemented, with the manufacturing technology of AEDs, so that later it can carry out their production.

Thrombotargets Europe, will be of relevance to the project partners, the company responsible for producing the bioreactivos Kit features improved on type ELISA kits (technique for the detection of antibodies or antigens through the use of enzymes). To reach this phase successfully, will cooperate closely with the Group of the DRA. Pilar Marco, with its extensive scientific experience in the field of chemistry and antibodies, for the development of these and especially for the functionalisation with them of effectively sensing surfaces ”, stresses Juan Ramón Rodríguez of Thrombotargets.

Finally, the Group of Prof. Juan Daniel Prades García, of the University of Barcelona, will be responsible for developing the electronic technology for the automated functioning of the device. This group work, also with AEDs in the part of the project associated with the automation of the processing of the sample and the realization of the bioassay in a fluidic device integrated system.

Project Kit Alzheimer

Progress on the early diagnosis is a priority in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, therapeutic strategies and existing drugs today, try preserving the still living cells, however when cognitive symptoms manifest themselves, the neuronal destruction is already excessive and safeguard these cells already is not enough. It is essential to systems of diagnostics that they can blow the whistle at early phases of the disease, when the neuronal destruction is still not very relevant. In the context of the year in Alzheimer’s research, they have given to many initiatives that have that purpose, while for the most part they are based on developing diagnostic systems for image, either by magnetic resonance imaging or Positron tomography.

Thanks to the great effort of biomedical research, it has a set of biomarkers that enable tracing and set the State of the disease from very early stages. This gives a clear expectation to the development of effective therapeutic strategies for a pathology of major impact: more than 25 million people suffer from the disease; It is the most common cause of dementia in Western countries and their proportion is increasing with the increasing life expectancy of the population.

The prospects for developing simple diagnosis systems based on the detection and quantification of biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases using biosensors (instruments for measuring chemical and/or biological parameters that combine a component of a biological nature with a physical sensor) are very good because, among other factors, more and more known adequate biomarkers that may be of interest to the diagnosis, rather than cognitive symptoms occur.

In particular, in the case of Alzheimer’s disease, a set of four biomarkers, generally accepted in clinical practice, to determine the State of the disease and its progression from the early asymptomatic stages is now known. Early detection of these biomarkers using biosensors systems allows diagnosis and follow-up of the treatments in the consultation or the Neurology Clinic, which will improve prospects for treatment and disease progression.

The use of biosensors is one of the systems for the detection of biomarkers, oriented to the diagnostic medical marked the future of clinical practice not only at the level of diagnosis of diseases but also in the personalization of therapies to apply. In this line, the Group of the IMB-CSIC and NBDg-CIBER-BBN have developed a device which presents improved sensitivity characteristics and which has demonstrated its potential for detection and quantification selective biomarkers and other chemical compounds that may exist in the sample to be analyzed. The project Kit-Alzheimer’s will be the first implementation of such a system sensor for a clinical problem which then can spread to many other cases with only to have the appropriate bioreactivos kit.

Projects INNPACTO

The INNPACTO call finances projects in public-private cooperation between research organisations and enterprises, to carry out r & d projects, exploitable products based on demand-oriented. These projects are intended to create innovative enterprises, guiding the activity of companies already existing towards innovative activity, to mobilize private investment, generate employment and improve the technological balance of the country.

CIBER-BBN

The center of biomedical research in bioengineering, biomaterials and nanomedicine, CIBER-BBN network consists of 49 research groups, which now form a multidisciplinary group of experts. It is one of nine consortia Cyber existing in Spain, whose creation has been led by the Institute of health Carlos III (ISCIII), belonging to the Ministry of science and innovation, with the aim of encouraging research excellence and critical mass of researchers in the fields of biomedicinethe health sciences and related areas. One of the purposes of the Center is the contact to the industry with research groups working in the same areas and they have common interests. Fruit of the efforts of the Centre in the field of industrial transfer and collaboration, CIBER-BBN will participate in two projects of the programme INNPACTO: Kit Alzheimer’s and NANOCARDIOCOCO.