As reported by San Jose Mercury News, researchers at Stanford University have been able to diagnosis Alzheimer’s through blood tests. These blood tests hone in on 18 specific proteins and looks for unusual activity. Two hundred people with Alzheimer’s disease were tested and Stanford was able to correctly pick out 90% of them.

The big issue with diagnosing Alzheimer’s is that, until now, diagnosis is done using the process of elimination. Several other diseases and afflictions need to be ruled out in order for doctors to settle on Alzheimer’s. A simple blood test would allow quicker diagnosis and treatment.

While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, Stanford is looking for a cure using its Folding@home distributed computing project. This project looks for more than just Alzheimer’s (Mad Cow, ALS, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and some cancers). Team Icrontic (Team #93) is a proud supporter of the Folding@home project. You can find out more about this project by visiting Stanford’s Folding@home page or visit our Forums.