Diagnostic tests for alzheimers disease

US5580748A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America, as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services · US

Inventors

• Daniel L. Alkon · Bethesda, US
• Rene Etcheberrigaray · Bethesda, US
• Etsuro Ito · Bethesda, US
• Gary E. Gibson · Machesney Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 3, 1993
• Grant date: Dec 3, 1996
• Expiry date: May 3, 2013

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S436/811
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The present invention is a method for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease using human cells. Specifically, the method detects differences between potassium channels in cells from Alzheimer's patient and normal donors, and differences in intracellular calcium concentrations between Alzheimer's and normal cells in response to chemicals known to increase intracellular calcium levels.