Redcliffe Labs, India’s fastest-growing diagnostic service provider partners with Roche Diagnostics India to offer a combination of Roche Diagnostics’ biomarker testing with Redcliffe Labs genetic testing that will play an important and crucial role in early Alzheimer’s prediction. 

Through the collaboration, Redcliffe Labs will be the first to bring to India Roche Diagnostics’ Elecsys® ß-Amyloid (1-42) CSF II (cerebrospinal fluid), Elecsys® Phospho-Tau (181P) CSF and Elecsys® Total-Tau CSF immunoassays. Elecsys® AD CSF tests are intended for use in adult patients with cognitive impairment to aid in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and to identify patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who are at increased risk of cognitive decline.

Elecsys® AD CSF assays can detect amyloid positivity, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and physician confidence. These in-vitro diagnostic immunoassays are for the measurement of ß-Amyloid (1–42), phospho-Tau, and total Tau protein concentrations in CSF of adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other causes of dementia.

It is also noteworthy that Roche Diagnostics’ CSF-based tests for AD have 90% concordance with the amyloid PET scan, which has been considered as the “gold standard” for diagnosing AD.

Mr. Dheeraj Jain, the Founder & Managing Director of Redcliffe Labs said “Alzheimer’s has a significant adverse impact on public health, including incidence, mortality, morbidity, and associated costs of care. More than 5 million people in India alone suffer from dementia, with AD thought to account for 60% to 80% of cases. Currently, a considerable portion of AD diagnoses are made mainly on clinical symptoms, including cognitive tests, and many people are identified after their illness is extremely advanced. 50% to 75% of those who have dementia do not have an official MCI or AD diagnosis. Furthermore, 70 to 80 percent of AD diagnoses are correct when based solely on cognitive tests. This partnership between Redcliffe Labs and Roche Diagnostics will mark a significant turning point as, with the help of CSF immunoassays, the accuracy of an AD diagnosis is increased and the development of the disease can be assessed by doctors.”

Mr. Narendra Varde, Managing Director, Roche Diagnostics India and Neighboring Markets said, “India currently faces a dual problem in terms of lack of effective diagnostic mechanisms and access to treatment for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. According to a 2020 report by the Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders Society of India (ARDSI), an estimated 5.3 million people above the age of 60 have dementia in the country, and the burden of Alzheimer’s is expected to increase in the coming years. The need of the hour is to ensure timely diagnosis and intervention. To bridge this need gap, I am excited to introduce the Elecsys CSF tests, which offers a standardised pre-analytical protocol for clinicians and labs to provide reliable, safe, and accurate identification of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.”

Ishaan Khanna, Director of Reproductive Medicine and Genetics, Redcliffe Labs, said “The availability of an Elecsys® AD CSF test can potentially eliminate the need for time-consuming and expensive scans, which is great news for individuals and families concerned with the possibility of an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. With the Elecsys® AD CSF test, there is a new option that can typically be completed on the same day and can give doctors the same information regarding brain amyloid status without the radiation risk, to help determine if a patient’s cognitive impairment is due to Alzheimer’s disease.”