A study published in JAMA Neurology has increased the evidence that blood tests could be used to detect Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
A blood test that detects ‘p-tau217’, a form of the protein tau (a hallmark protein of Alzheimer’s disease), has been seen to be as accurate as a standard lumber puncture in a study led by researchers in Sweden.
Dr Sheona Scales, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“In the past year we have seen incredible progress in the development of blood-based Alzheimer’s tests, and as we see more and more different types of tests becoming available, studies like this are key to understanding which are most accurate.”
You can read the study here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2813751
In the UK, the Blood Biomarker Challenge is aiming to gather the information needed to introduce a blood test for dementia into the UK healthcare system. You can read more about that here: https://journalofdementiacare.co.uk/blood-biomarker-challenge-for-dementia-diagnosis