Jens Wiltfang
Georg August University Gottingen, Germany
Title: Predictive molecular diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Dementia: Towards new clinical models for preventive treatment
Biography
Biography: Jens Wiltfang
Abstract
There is an unmet need for fi rst preventive, that is disease-modifying, treatments of Alzheimer´s dementia (AD). However, preventive treatment calls for predictive diagnosis since novel preventive treatment options can only be off ered if patients are identifi ed during preclinical stages of the incipient AD. Per defi nition, a preclinical stage can not be detected by clinical tools and accordingly, patients at high risk for later AD have to be identifi ed by biomarker guided predictive diagnostics. Th e presentation will demonstrate that patients with preclinical AD can meanwhile be identifi ed within the clinically heterogenous cohort of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) with positive and negative predictive values of at least 90% by a multiparameter biomarker approach relying on CSF dementia biomarkers, MRI volumetry and/or F18-Amyloid-PET. In view of a prevalence of approximately 20% of preclinical AD within the MCI risk cohort the latter predictive values are clinically signifi cant. Morevover, it will be critically discussed in how far fi rst blood-based assays may support the identifi cation of preclinical AD. Finally, the presentation will exemplify that novel diagnostic targets may indicate promising novel therapeutic targets.