"Last month, The US Food and Drug Administration approved a new blood test for assisting the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Produced by Roche, Elecsys pTau181 measures the concentration of a specific molecule-a phosphorylated form of the tau protein-in the blood. Tau is one of two proteins, the other being amyloid, that become malformed and accumulate in the brains of patients with certain types of dementia."
"The test had already received authorization in July for marketing in Europe and is thus the first early screening system for Alzheimer's for use in primary care settings approved in the planet's two major pharmaceutical markets. It is an opener in what should soon become a crowded field, as there are several other tests in advanced stages of testing and approval."
Elecsys pTau181 is a blood test that measures phosphorylated tau (pTau181) concentrations in plasma as an indirect marker of amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the brain. The test received FDA approval after earlier authorization for marketing in Europe, making it the first early Alzheimer's screening system approved for primary care in both major markets. Other biomarker tests, such as Lumipulse measuring pTau217-to-amyloid beta 1-42 ratios, target related proteins. Positive or suggestive blood results indicate probable amyloidosis in the brain and typically require confirmatory PET scans or cerebrospinal fluid analysis by lumbar puncture.
Read at WIRED
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