The results of research headed by a team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have identified formic acid as a sensitive urinary biomarker that can reveal early-stage Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The findings could potentially pave the way for inexpensive and convenient large-scale screening. Yifan Wang, PhD, Qihao Guo, PhD, and colleagues reported on their study in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, in a paper titled, “Systematic evaluation of urinary formic acid as a new potential biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease.” In a statement the authors concluded, “Urinary formic acid showed an excellent sensitivity for early Alzheimer’s screening …The detection of urine biomarkers of Alzheimer’s is convenient and cost effective, and it should be performed during routine physical examinations of the elderly.”
