Alzheimer’s Research UK | July 2020 | Progressing towards a tau blood test for Alzheimer’s disease
- Four new studies presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) and two published papers show that levels of tau, a hallmark protein of Alzheimer’s disease, in the blood could be used to detect the disease
- The research focuses on a specific form of tau, p-tau217
- The new data suggests blood levels of p-tau217 can predict the development of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear, track well with levels of tau in the brain and distinguish Alzheimer’s from other diseases that cause dementia
Researchers from both the US and Europe have presented data that indicates levels of a specific form of tau, one of the hallmark proteins of Alzheimer’s disease, can be measured in blood to detect the disease, even before symptoms appear.
Full details of the studies are available from Alzheimer’s Research UK
In the news:
The Independent ‘Exciting’ results on blood test that could detect Alzheimer’s 20 years before memory falter
BBC News Alzheimer’s: ‘Promising’ blood test for early stage of disease
The Telegraph Flu jab may reduce risk of dementia by a fifth, study finds