Roche One of the great challenges in developing t
Post# of 30029
One of the great challenges in developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is diag- nosis. Physicians sometimes have difficulty in distinguishing AD from other memory disorders. But a major diagnostic breakthrough may be
at hand. Beta-amyloid, a peptide deposited in brain plaques associated with AD, can now be measured using positron emission tomography (PET) and a GE-licensed diagnostic imaging agent called Pittsburgh compound B, PIB. (See the article on PIB research on page 22.)
F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd’s Roche Pharma- ceuticals of Basel, Switzerland is partnering with GE to improve AD care. In clinical trials,
GE is using PIB PET scans to monitor how brain amyloid levels change in response to an anti- amyloid drug candidate developed by Roche. “This collaboration is an early step in experimental medicine,” says Peter Hug, Roche’s global head of Pharma Partnering. “GE’s innovative technology allows Roche to test the efficacy of our product more accurately than was previously possible, which will help us efficiently advance through clinical develop- ment, potentially helping patients sooner.”
http://falconriver.com/pdf/Feature-Articles%28Window%29.pdf