Blood-based biomarkers represent the most significant recent advancement in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnostics. These markers offer minimally invasive, cost-effective, and scalable approaches to detection and monitoring, potentially transforming clinical practice and research[1].
| Biomarker | Source | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Aβ42/40 ratio | Plasma | Correlates with amyloid PET; reduced in AD |
| Aβ42 | Plasma | Decreased with amyloid pathology |
| Aβ40 | Plasma | Reference marker for Aβ42 normalization |
| Biomarker | Source | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|
| p-tau181 | Plasma | High accuracy for AD vs. other dementias |
| p-tau217 | Plasma | Best performance for detecting early AD |
| p-tau231 | Plasma | Detects earliest tau changes |
| Total tau | Plasma | Marker of neurodegeneration |
| Biomarker | Source | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|
| NfL (Neurofilament Light) | Plasma | Non-specific marker of neuronal damage |
| NfH (Neurofilament Heavy) | Plasma | Complementary to NfL |
| GFAP (Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein) | Plasma | Astrocyte reactivity marker |
Research presented demonstrated:
p-tau217 vs. amyloid PET
p-tau181 vs. tau PET
Blood vs. CSF comparisons
Key initiatives highlighted:
| Biomarker | Sensitivity | Specificity | AUC |
|---|---|---|---|
| p-tau217 | 85-95% | 85-90% | >0.90 |
| p-tau181 | 80-90% | 80-85% | 0.85-0.90 |
| Aβ42/40 | 75-85% | 75-85% | 0.80-0.85 |
Large cohort studies validated blood biomarkers in: