ESOC 2021 | The promise of CSF and PET biomarkers in CAA

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a common small vessel disease (SVD) particularly associated with hemorrhagic stroke and characterized by amyloid-β deposits on the walls of blood vessels in the brain. Gargi Banerjee, BM BCh, MRCP, PhD, UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, University College London, London, UK, talks on the rationale for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and PET biomarker development in CAA. Although current diagnostic techniques, like the MRI-based Boston criteria and CT-based Edinburgh criteria, are effective at diagnosing CAA, these imaging markers only inform on the presence of the disease. Additionally, these are likely to be irreversible markers of late-stage disease, and some features can also be seen in other diseases. Hence, Dr Banerjee argues that CSF and PET biomarkers may address the limitations of existing diagnostic markers by, for instance, informing us about disease severity and the presence of the early disease. This interview took place at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC), 2021.