About one in three people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) have an inherited form. For people with the non-hereditary form, there is no reliable tool to establish the diagnosis. This is what neurologist Harro Seelaar of the FTD Expertise Centre, part of the Alzheimer Centre at Erasmus MC, wants to change. He is leading the new project, called PREDICTFTD.
Develop
In recent years, there have been many developments both within FTD and in other forms of dementia regarding determinations in blood. PREDICTFTD is investigating these biomarkers in material already available from patients with FTD. In addition, a new prospective cohort in Europe is being set up to confirm these biomarkers.
Neurologist Harro Seelaar and researcher Esther Bron. Photographer: Levien Willemse.
The determinations of these values in blood combined with MRI images and neuropsychological examinations will be used by the researchers to develop a new diagnostic tool with artificial intelligence (AI). This will be done in collaboration with researcher Esther Bron, working at the Biomedical Imaging Group Rotterdam of Erasmus MC’s Department of Radiology & Nuclear Medicine.
Early diagnosis
‘Our goal is to diagnose FTD faster and with more certainty,’ Seelaar says. ‘A quick and reliable diagnosis is important to give people with FTD and their loved ones clarity on the cause of the symptoms quickly. An earlier diagnosis will also be decisive in the future to be able to start therapy in time. Drug trials are currently under way within FTD. Early diagnosis is important to be able to determine the right time to start these medications in the future.’
PREDICTFDT’s 15 partners work across Europe. It consists of doctors, biochemists, data scientists, health economists and a European patient organisation. The project will receive an almost €8 million grant from the European Commission over a period of 4.5 years.
About FTD
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common form of dementia before the age of 65, after Alzheimer’s disease. FTD is characterised by changes in behaviour and language rather than memory, as in Alzheimer’s disease.
