August 13th, 2008

Doctors at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a compound that could diagnose Alzheimer’s disease 10 years in advance, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Dr.  William Klunk and Dr. Chester Mathis developed the compound, Pittsburgh Compound B (PIB), four years ago to help diagnose Alzheimer’s.  Tests have since shown that PIB, a radioactive dye, could not only diagnose the disease but it could predict it at least 10 years before any symptoms.

Dr. Mathis believes this early diagnosis will allow patients to make financial and living arrangements before symptoms appear.

“You can decide ahead of time, when you’re not in the fog of the disease and you can’t make the decisions for yourself,” Dr. Mathis said.

Nearly 5.2 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s.  There is no cure for the disease but researchers hope to find a drug to combat the disease within 5 to 10 years.