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A Precision Medicine Model for Targeted NSAID Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease

Sid E O'Bryant1, Fan Zhang2, Leigh A Johnson1

  • 1Department of Pharmacology & Neuroscience; Institute for Healthy Aging, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.

Abstract

Insights

A new blood test can identify Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients likely to respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This precision medicine approach shows high accuracy in predicting treatment success for AD.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmacology
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Current Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment lacks personalization.
  • Precision medicine, successful in oncology, offers a potential alternative for AD therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate a blood-based proteomic companion diagnostic for predicting response to NSAID therapy in AD patients.

Main Methods:

  • Plasma proteomic assays were conducted on participants in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
  • Participants received rofecoxib, naproxen, or placebo for one year.
  • Support vector machine (SVM) analysis was used to develop companion diagnostics.

Main Results:

  • A general NSAID companion diagnostic correctly classified 89% of patients responding to NSAID treatment.
  • Drug-specific companion diagnostics achieved 98% accuracy for rofecoxib and 97% for naproxen.

Conclusions:

  • Inflammatory-based companion diagnostics can identify AD patients likely to benefit from NSAID therapy.
  • This study supports a precision medicine model for treating Alzheimer's disease.

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