A Blood Test for Alzheimer's?

New research released Monday touts a potential blood test to predict which people are at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. But experts overwhelmingly agree that the test might not be such a reliable screening tool for Alzheimer's -- and is certainly not ready for prime time.

New research suggests that a blood test for Alzheimer's disease may one day be a reality. But many Alzheimer's researchers remain skeptical.

(ABC News/Getty)

The study looked at a potential biomarker for Alzheimer's disease -- a protein called ABeta42. Researchers at Columbia University performed blood tests on more than 1,100 elderly patients to examine the relationship between the amount of ABeta42 in a person's blood and their likelihood of developing Alzheimer's. They found that those with high levels of this protein were three times as likely to develop Alzheimer's over a five-year period.

"Our results suggest individuals with [higher ABeta42 levels] are at increased risk of [Alzheimer's disease]," the researchers note in the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

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The study authors surmise that the connection may be useful in determining who may be at higher risk of developing the condition -- and might even lead to a diagnostic test to catch it early.

But Alzheimer's disease researchers not affiliated with the study overwhelmingly disagree that this discovery moves scientists any closer to developing a truly reliable blood biomarker screening tool for the disease.

"[This research] doesn't appear to move us closer [to a blood screening test for Alzheimer's]," said Dr. Myron Weiner, clinical professor of psychiatry and neurology at the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. "We probably need to explore other potential markers [other] than ABeta42."

Unlocking the Alzheimer's Mystery

Currently, experts depend on a series of brain scans and psychological tests to diagnose Alzheimer's disease. However, such a test is only successful in diagnosing patients who already have symptoms. Thus, the current struggle within the Alzheimer's community is to develop a screening tool that can predict who will develop the condition before symptoms start.