Blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease: evaluation of ADAM10 gene expression and microRNAs

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands out as the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Molecular biomarkers of direct or indirect relation to the physiophatology of the disease have been identified. Among them, some studies show a decrease of platelet ADAM10 protein in AD patients, as well as the deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) related to the gene expression of molecules involved in the pathophysiology of this disease. This project is a comparison study, based on the assumptions of quantitative research. The main objective is to verify and compare the gene expression of ADAM10 and miRNAs in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia of AD, with elderly people without cognitive impairments. It will be held in the city of San Carlos, headquarters of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Biological samples of research subjects will be collected, analyzed and then stored in a biorepository. The whole blood of subjects will be studied by qPCR techniques, using differential expression in comparison with healthy subjects. Statistical tests of association, regression and diagnostic accuracy will be carried out. The results can contribute to the deployment of tools that work in the early diagnosis of AD, such as the construction of a diagnostic kit for measuring blood levels of ADAM10 and specific miRNAs between healthy subjects, with MCI and AD. (AU)