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On the trail of Alzheimer’s disease

Molecular imaging: Bayer HealthCare researchers Dr. Ludger Dinkelborg (left) and Dr. Thomas Dyrks hope to discover new therapies with the aid of this technique.

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Molecular imaging: Bayer HealthCare researchers Dr. Ludger Dinkelborg (left) and Dr. Thomas Dyrks hope to discover new therapies with the aid of this technique.

Berlin – In September 2008 Bayer HealthCare and the University of Nagasaki, Japan, signed a licensing agreement on the use of novel substances for molecular imaging. Used as tracers in Positron Emission Tomography (PET), these compounds could make it possible to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease at an early stage. Under the agreement, Bayer HealthCare will receive exclusive worldwide rights to develop and market a set of radiolabeled molecules.

According to representative epidemiological studies, about 24 million people worldwide currently suffer from dementia. This figure is likely to rise to around 80 million by 2040. Some 50 to 75 percent of these cases are related to Alzheimer’s disease.

At present, a definitive diagnosis of this devastating illness can only be made by autopsy after death. The possibilities for reliable clinical diagnosis are complex and limited. There is a high medical need for a simple, non-invasive imaging technique to assist in either diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease or ruling it out. A diagnostic tool of this kind would help physicians to select therapeutic options and would clearly benefit patients and their families – particularly if it enables a diagnosis to be made when the disease is at a very early stage. It would also contribute to the development of new disease-modulating treatments.