We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
Siemens Healthineers - Laboratory Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




New Blood Test Highly Accurate in Screening for Alzheimer’s

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 04 Sep 2023
Print article
Image: A new blood test has shown promise as an Alzheimer\'s disease biomarker (Photo courtesy of Freepik)
Image: A new blood test has shown promise as an Alzheimer\'s disease biomarker (Photo courtesy of Freepik)

Researchers have made substantial efforts in recent years towards developing blood-based biomarkers that could potentially aid in the detection of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The key focus has been on the tau protein, particularly its phosphorylated form (p-tau), which is a significant player in AD pathology. These new blood-based p-tau biomarkers, especially one variant known as p-tau217, have displayed significant potential as valuable tools for screening individuals with memory issues or early cognitive symptoms hinting at early-stage AD. Despite its strong promise, there has been a concern that categorizing early-stage patients as either having "AD or not AD" could still yield a relatively high rate of false positives (positive test results in individuals without AD) and false negatives (negative test results in individuals who are later confirmed to have AD based on other assessments like amyloid PET scans).

Researchers from the University of Gothenburg (Gothenburg, Sweden), together with colleagues at University of Lund (Lund, Sweden), have developed an innovative strategy for the clinical implementation of blood biomarkers. Their strategy was designed after taking into account the ethical and psychological concerns arising from possible misdiagnoses, as well as the substantial costs and potential medical risks involved in initiating treatments for individuals who don't have the actual target disease. Their novel blood test, named p-tau217, has demonstrated potential as an Alzheimer's disease biomarker. Moreover, when employed in a two-step workflow, the test has shown impressive accuracy in either identifying or excluding brain amyloidosis, which is a critical and early pathology.

In the two-step model, the first step involves a diagnostic model (utilizing plasma p-tau217 along with age and APOE e4) to categorize patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) based on their risk of amyloid PET positivity. The second step involves confirmatory testing using CSF Ab42/40 ratio (or amyloid EPT), exclusively for those with uncertain outcomes in step 1. This framework was assessed using 348 MCI participants from the Swedish BioFINDER studies and then validated through the independent TRIAD cohort, utilizing an independent method for plasma p-tau217 analysis.

The researchers evaluated the model at three different thresholding strategies to classify participants into low, intermediate, and high-risk groups for being "Aβ positive" (indicating AD-type pathology). The use of stringent lower probability thresholds with 97.5% sensitivity (to avoid missing Aβ positive patients) revealed merely 6.6% false negatives. Conversely, adopting a stringent 97.5% specificity (to prevent categorizing Aβ negative patients as 'high risk') yielded merely 2.3% false positives. At these stringent sensitivity/specificity thresholds, around 41% of patients fell into the intermediate risk category (in contrast to 29% of patients for the 95% thresholds). Further analysis of this group using CSF Aβ42/40 demonstrated strong concordance (86%) with amyloid PET outcomes. These results were confirmed in the independent McGill patient cohort.

Thus, the study introduced a blood plasma p-tau217-based two-step model for stratifying MCI patients into high, low, and intermediate-risk categories for brain amyloidosis and early AD pathology. The application of the blood test in step 1 showed exceptional accuracy in identifying high-risk patients. Depending on the clinical context, these patients could either receive a diagnosis and commence symptomatic treatments or be referred to specialized clinics for starting potential disease-modifying treatments in the future. For the low-risk group, AD could be confidently ruled out. The intermediate-risk group will encompass only about one-third of patients, substantially reducing the need for confirmatory CSF or PET testing at specialized clinics and leading to cost savings for society. According to the researchers, this two-step model presents a clinically valuable approach for utilizing the p-tau217 blood test in AD screening.

Related Links:
University of Gothenburg 
University of Lund 

New
Platinum Supplier
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
New
Gold Supplier
Automated, Random Access Chemistry Analyzer
LIDA 300
New
Filaria ELISA Test
Filaria IgG-4 ELISA Kit
New
Concentrated Anionic Detergent
Tergazyme

Print article
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The new assays are designed to run on the B•R•A•H•M•S KRYPTOR compact PLUS clinical chemistry analyzer (Photo courtesy of Thermo Fisher)

Breakthrough Immunoassays to Aid in Risk Assessment of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a life-threatening blood pressure condition that can arise during pregnancy and the postpartum phase. This severe pregnancy complication is a primary cause of maternal and fetal mortality... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The US FDA has cleared HemoScreen point of care CBC for direct capillary sampling (Photo courtesy of PixCell Medical)

Point of Care CBC Analyzer with Direct Capillary Sampling Enhances Ease-of-Use and Testing Throughput

The world’s only 5-part differential Complete Blood Count (CBC) analyzer that is FDA-cleared, CE-marked, and TGA-approved for point-of-care use has now been granted FDA 510(k) clearance for direct capillary... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: Immune cells present long before infection predict flu symptoms (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com)

Single Blood Draw to Detect Immune Cells Present Months before Flu Infection Can Predict Symptoms

For decades, if not centuries, scientists have struggled to solve the mystery of why certain individuals fall ill to infections while others remain unaffected. In an impressive development, researchers... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The rapid diagnostic test could pinpoint the correct antibiotic for infection treatment in under an hour (Photo courtesy of Microplate Dx)

Point-of-Care Device to Reduce Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing Time from Days to Minutes

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health issue, currently leading to over 1.27 million deaths worldwide each year. By 2050, AMR could be causing up to 10 million deaths annually, surpassing... Read more

Pathology

view channel
Image: The Tasso+ device has received CE Mark certification (Photo courtesy of Tasso)

Groundbreaking Blood Lancing Device Obtains Microliter Capillary Whole Blood Samples Painlessly

A convenient, virtually pain-free blood lancet that collects whole liquid blood samples has received CE Mark designation, making the patient-centric, high-volume blood collection solution available in... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: A new electrochemical device can quickly and inexpensively identify people at greatest risk for osteoporosis (Photo courtesy of ACS Central Science, 2023)

Electrochemical Device Identifies People at Higher Risk for Osteoporosis Using Single Blood Drop

With the global increase in life expectancy, the incidence of age-related conditions like osteoporosis is increasing. Osteoporosis, affecting around 200 million individuals worldwide, has a higher incidence... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The global fully automatic electrolyte analyzers market is projected to reach close to USD 0.77 billion by 2032 (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Global Fully Automatic Electrolyte Analyzers Market Driven by Surge in Demand for Point-of-Care Testing

Fully automatic electrolyte analyzers can measure the levels of electrolytes in various bodily fluids like blood and plasma. Electrolytes are ions that have an electrical charge and are essential for multiple... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2023 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.