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"Our memories are the bridge between the past and present - they help us move forward while keeping the past alive. "
Nowadays, the number of families affected by Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing rapidly. When people think of AD, they often associate it with memory loss and cognitive confusion. However, lesser-known symptoms include subtle aphasia and dementia. Early intervention is crucial in the fight against AD, and Vazyme is dedicated to halting the progression of the disease as early as possible.
As a researcher involved in developing raw materials for the six biomarkers of AD, Ai Yunjing understands the critical role that material quality plays in diagnostic accuracy. With a commitment to scientific rigor and innovation, she and her multidisciplinary team have overcome numerous challenges. After two and a half years of close collaboration, they obtained the raw materials for diagnostic reagents that detect the six biomarkers, high affinity, high coupling efficiency, and a sensitivity of 0.5 pg/ml. This groundbreaking achievement not only enhances diagnostic accuracy and reliability but also lays the foundation for blood test products for AD.
AD progresses in three stages: the preclinical asymptomatic stage, the mild cognitive impairment stage, and the dementia stage. Amyloid plaque starts to build up in the brain from the asymptomatic stage. This team wants to use blood tests as a minimally invasive, convenient, and high-throughput means and measure the AD-associated biomarkers Aβ1-42, Aβ1-40, p-Tau181, p-Tau217, GFAP, and NfL in the blood, to detect disease signals throughout the disease development, ideally at the asymptomatic stage, offering patients and doctors insights for early detection and diagnosis. As the head of the AD blood test product line, Sun Zichun plays a pivotal role in this process. He connects the real needs of customers with the technical capabilities of the R&D team to create solutions that address critical clinical challenges. His work helps to detect the disease earlier in patients and gives them valuable additional treatment time.
As a family member of a patient and the director of Vazyme Nanjing Office, Xiao Yunxiao shares her personal experience of the disease. To her, the fight against AD is not just a physical battle but also a psychological challenge. She hopes that more people will seek to understand and focus research on this disease to enable early diagnosis and slow its progression for more patients. She is also actively involved in promoting awareness of the early signs of AD. Nowadays, blood tests are less invasive, cheaper, and more accessible. If this technology and awareness of the early signs of AD had been available earlier, they could have helped many more patients and their families.
The team has encountered many challenges during development. The complexity of the samples requires that the raw materials of diagnostic reagents show high specificity and sensitivity. They need to detect the biomarkers quickly, accurately, and stably. This process becomes particularly challenging when screening for p-Tau181 and p-Tau217 antibodies, as interference from more than 80 other phosphorylation sites complicates matters significantly. However, the team remains united and persistent in seeking solutions. Using antibody engineering technology, they reorganized the coupling direction of antibodies and fluorescent substances, greatly improving the utilization of antibodies. This accomplishment represents a technical breakthrough, as well as a promise of hope for countless patients and their families.
Vazyme's dedication to the early detection of AD is driven by its desire to provide meaningful support to patients and their families. Through ongoing technological innovation and close team collaboration, the company is making strides in this crucial area. Looking forward, we will continue to uphold our vision of "For Science For Health", relentlessly pursuing fresh discoveries and innovations. The hope is that, in the future, AD will no longer be unbeatable.
