Innovations in Diagnostics for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias
This presentation will provide an overview of the current advancements in dementia biomarker research, with a focus on their role in diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia. Cutting-edge techniques, including plasma and CSF biomarker development, extracellular vesicle analysis, and the clinical translation of these biomarkers into diagnostic and therapeutic strategies will be highlighted.
Lecture Presenter
![]() | Qinwen Mao, MD, PhD Professor |
Dr. Qinwen Mao is a professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine and the director of neuropathology at the University of Utah and ARUP Laboratories. Dr. Mao graduated with her medical degree from the Fourth Military Medical University in China. She also received her PhD in physiology and an MS in histology from that institution. She completed her pathology residency and neuropathology fellowship training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She served as a faculty member of neuropathology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, from 2010 to 2021. Dr. Mao is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic pathology and neuropathology. Her research interests include the pathogenesis and management of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and biomarker development for dementia.
Objectives
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe the role of biomarkers in the diagnosis and management of dementia-related neurodegenerative diseases
- Identify key biomarkers, including TDP-43, amyloid-beta, tau, and neurofilament light chain, and their clinical applications
- Review the latest advancements in plasma and CSF biomarker technologies and their potential in early diagnosis and disease progression monitoring
- Evaluate the challenges and opportunities in translating biomarker research into clinical practice
- Discuss the implications of biomarker development for future therapeutic strategies and personalized medicine in dementia care
Sponsored by:
University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, and ARUP Laboratories