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The inflammatory Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and Alzheimer’s disease Biomarkers International Network (iCAβ), established in 2012 by Prof. Piazza Fabrizio, is a World-Wide Consortium for the discovery and validation of diagnostic biomarkers for Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The iCAβ International Network main objective is the study of the anti-amyloyd antibody-mediated mechanisms of the amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) events characterizing the pathogenesis of Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy-related inflammation and those occurring in immunotherapy of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 

SIGNIFICANCE

AD will become a public health crisis, with significant impact on the public health finances within few years, if we will not been able to find an effective treatment. In fact, AD represents the most common cause of dementia and an increasing public health priority, whit more than 5 million of patients only in the US and with an expected increase to 13 million in 2050, resulting in a heavy personal and financial toll both for patients and family caregivers. 

Radiographic ARIA events have negatively affected the rapid and safe discovery of an efficient cure for this devastating disease. It results quite clear that without effective biomarkers for the monitor of these abnormalities we will continue facing with serious and unacceptable delays in finding a cure for this devastating disease. 

Keeping in mind these priorities, the iCAβ International Network aims to contribute to an emerging issue of public health and, at the same time, of great biological importance. A better comprehension of the CAA-related consequences of raised autoantibody concentration in patients from the real clinical practice will mark a significant advance both for the identification of early and predictive biomarkers both for CAA-ri in real world clinical settings and AD clinical trials, with the potential to open to a new scenario also for treatment of sporadic CAA. Our ultra-sensitive test for the detection of auto-antibodies against Aβ in the CSF, can reveal extremely helpful in the prevention and monitor of the side effects of clinical trials. 

Current evidence supports radiographic ARIA in immunotherapy trials is the manifestation of iatrogenic CAA-ri.

The analitical validation of the anti-Abs assay and the related clinical validation of the anti-Aβ autoantibody biomarker has the potential to offer a valid alternative to the current more expensive and invasive techniques for the diagnosis of CAA-ri and ARIA events, with a relevant impact on National Health Systems.