Source: Aiken Standard
South Carolina families wondering if a loved one has Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias might soon have access to a blood test that could give them some answers. A statewide consortium is also trying to find out why the Palmetto State carries such a high burden of devastating brain diseases.
South Carolina has 112,500 people over the age of 65 who have Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 11.5 percent of that age group, the Alzheimer’s Association said in its 2025 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. The Palmetto State also has the eighth-highest rate of death from the disease, the report found.
That heavy burden is what prompted the association and others to push for the creation of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, a joint effort between Clemson University, Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina. The state Legislature provided $10 million to help fund the center, with the goal of getting a federal designation as an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, though the state is still seeking that.
Some of that funding went to two Quanterix analyzers that can look at biomarkers for disease, in the case Alzheimer’s and other dementias. They are currently running a couple of different tests on donated samples and are preparing the lab to get a crucial clinical designation, said Dr. Steven Carroll, MUSC director for the South Carolina Alzheimer’s center. One of the machines will be devoted to clinical use and the other to research on why the state suffers particularly from dementias, he said.
Related Posts
Spatial Analysis
Snapshots of Health Innovation From the Edison Awards
Building the Tools Parkinson’s Disease Research Needs
A Q&A with Kishore Malyavantham, PhD, VP of R&D at Quanterix and Co-Investigator, PD-BUILD Quanterix has been named a Co-Investigator institution in PD-BUILD (Biomarker Utilization, Innovation, and Laboratory-to-Deployment), a new project…
Quanterix Named to ASAP CRN 2026 PD-BUILD Program with MJFF Support
Part of a global effort to advance Parkinson’s disease biomarkers through standardized, scalable assay development Quanterix has been selected as a Co-Investigator institution in the PD-BUILD program, part of the…
Neurology
Why biomarkers are no longer supplemental
Quanterix makes the case with ctDNA in oncology, p-tau217 in Alzheimer’s and a lab model built for longitudinal, regulatory-grade data. Biomarkers have moved from “nice-to-have” to the backbone of drug…
Neurology
Preparing The Market for Blood-Based Biomarkers
Shana Tetrault, PhD, Director of Product Marketing at Quanterix, outlined strategies for integrating blood-based biomarkers into routine clinical care pathways, ensuring minimal disruption for patients and clinicians. Watch the full…
Neurology
Challenges of Positioning an Ultra-Sensitive Platform
Shana Tetrault, PhD, Director of Product Marketing at Quanterix, discussed challenges in positioning Simoa in the precision health market, stressing its accuracy and reliability in diverse populations. Watch the full…
Neurology
Translating Complex Scientific Findings into Actionable Insights
Shana Tetrault, PhD, Director of Product Marketing at Quanterix, discussed translating complex scientific findings into actionable insights for healthcare providers and stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of early disease detection. Watch…
Neurology
AI and the rise of blood-based biomarkers heralds new era for neurological diagnostics
Advances in blood-based biomarkers are transforming early and accurate Alzheimer’s disease detection, offering less invasive, cost-effective alternatives to traditional diagnostic methods. Quanterix, a company working at the very frontiers of…