Samaritan Pharmaceuticals has been granted a patent for a simple blood test that is capable of predicting and leading to an early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The U.S. patent is waiting approval.

As stated in the patent’s abstract, “One of the major problems with the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases is the inability of clinicians to determine the onset of disease. The present invention describes methods and kits whereby the onset of neuropathology is detected by changes in the normal levels of neurosteroids, and particularly DHEA and its metabolic precursors, in the brain and serum.