Researchers have created a blood test aimed at diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and assessing its progression. This innovation, deemed necessary due to the rise of amyloid-targeted treatments, allows healthcare providers to tailor medication approaches, especially for early-stage patients. The test reveals a specific tau fragment, eMTBR-tau243, whose presence correlates with tau tangles in the brain. Evaluating 902 participants, findings showed that elevated tau levels were specific to Alzheimer's-related cognitive impairment. While promising and potentially better than current diagnostic methods, the test requires advanced lab techniques, limiting its immediate availability in clinical settings.
The new blood test developed by researchers can help accurately diagnose Alzheimer's and gauge its progression, aiding in the selection of suitable treatments for patients.
Prof Oskar Hansson emphasized the urgent need for accurate Alzheimer diagnostics as many countries have approved amyloid-targeted therapies recently.
Notably, the new marker detected elevated levels of the tau fragment in people with Alzheimer's, suggesting it performs better than existing tests.
Prof Tara Spires-Jones cautioned that while scientifically promising, the blood test is not foolproof and requires complex methods available only in specialist labs.
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