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Blood Test Detects Neurodegeneration Specific to Alzheimer Disease
Neuroscientists have developed a blood test that detects a novel biomarker of Alzheimer disease neurodegeneration: brain-derived tau. According to study results published online ahead of print in the journal Brain, the blood test is specific to Alzheimer disease and correlates with neurodegeneration biomarkers in the cerebrospinal fluid.
“At present, diagnosing Alzheimer disease requires neuroimaging,” said senior author Thomas Karikari, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. “Those tests are expensive and take a long time to schedule, and a lot of patients, even in the United States, don’t have access to MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] and PET [positron emission tomography] scanners. Accessibility is a major issue.”
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By generating an anti-tau antibody that selectively detects and binds to brain-derived tau, the blood test zeroes in on the biomarker while avoiding free-floating “big tau” proteins produced outside the brain. Researchers validated the assay in 609 patients from five independent cohorts that included patients with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer disease as well as patients with memory deficiencies suggestive of early-stage Alzheimer disease.
Levels of brain-derived tau detected in blood using the new assay matched levels of tau in the cerebrospinal fluid, according to the research team, and distinguished Alzheimer disease from other neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, levels of brain-derived tau correlated with the severity of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in brain tissue in autopsy analyses.
Researchers hope the blood test will improve Alzheimer disease clinical trials, in part by increasing the involvement of patients from a wider range of populations.
“There is a huge need for diversity in clinical research, not just by skin color but also by socioeconomic background,” said Dr Karikari. “To develop better drugs, trials need to enroll people from varied backgrounds and not just those who live close to academic medical centers. A blood test is cheaper, safer, and easier to administer, and it can improve clinical confidence in diagnosing Alzheimer and selecting participants for clinical trial and disease monitoring.”
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