As highly accurate blood tests for Alzheimer ’ s disease move closer to approved use in physician ’ s offices , new research suggests they may revolutionize the accuracy of diagnosis and provide a cleaner , quicker path to diagnosis and treatment , according to data reported at the Alzheimer ’ s Association International Conference in Philadelphia .

Dementia is often underdiagnosed , and if it is diagnosed by a clinician , many people are still unaware or uninformed of their diagnosis , according to the 2024 Alzheimer ’ s Disease Facts and Figures report . Blood tests for Alzheimer ’ s are demonstrating in research that they could significantly improve a clinician ’ s accuracy and confidence and provide greater accessibility and a platform for enhanced communication .

Blood tests that show the most promise for identifying Alzheimer ’ s- related changes in the brain assess phosphorylated tau protein , an Alzheimer ’ s biomarker that can build up before patients show signs of cognitive impairment . Increases in the specific marker p-tau217 over time correlate with worsening cognition and brain atrophy . The p-tau217 test also predicts the likelihood of amyloid plaques in the brain , which are another biomarker for Alzheimer ’ s and the target for recently approved treatments .

“ Blood tests , once they are confirmed in large populations to be more than 90 % accurate and become more widely available , show promise for improving and possibly redefining the clinical trial recruitment process and the diagnostic workup for Alzheimer ’ s ,” said Maria C . Carrillo , Ph . D ., Alzheimer ’ s Association chief science officer and medical affairs lead . “ While

at this time doctors in primary and secondary care should use a combination of cognitive and blood or other biomarker testing to diagnose Alzheimer ’ s , blood tests have the potential to increase the accuracy of early diagnoses and maximize the opportunity to access Alzheimer ’ s treatments as early as possible for better outcomes .”

When considering use of a blood test , the Alzheimer ’ s Association Appropriate Use Recommendations for Blood Biomarkers in Alzheimer ’ s Disease should be carefully followed .

Progress of access to biomarkers in Ohio

Earlier this summer at the Ohio Statehouse , the passage of House Bill 24 marked a victory for the 236,200 Ohioans living with Alzheimer ’ s and dementia . The bill sets the stage for diagnostic advancements and ensures access to biomarker testing , reducing the time it takes to diagnose Alzheimer ’ s and providing access to disease-modifying treatments and care planning . “ The discovery that Alzheimer ’ s can begin two decades before the onset of symptoms suggests that there ’ s a substantial window of time where we may be able to intervene in the disease ’ s progression ,” said Trey Addison , director of public policy for the Alzheimer ’ s Association in Ohio . “ Scientific advances — including this crucial step toward access to biomarkers — will help us make huge progress in the coming years .”

The bill is expected to go through a vote in the Ohio Senate this fall .

A blood test can improve diagnosis among primary care and Alzheimer ’ s disease specialists .

A large study , reported for the first time at AAIC 2024 , shows blood tests

can do a better job of accurately detecting Alzheimer ’ s than both primary care doctors and specialists who were using traditional diagnostic methods .

In the study , 1,213 patients were tested with the PrecivityAD2 test , known as APS2 .

Among 698 patients seen at memory clinics , APS2 was around 90 % accurate at identifying Alzheimer ’ s disease while specialists were 73 % accurate .

Among 515 patients seen in primary care , APS2 also was around 90 % accurate while primary care physicians were 63 % accurate at identifying Alzheimer ’ s .

Blood tests could drastically reduce wait times for Alzheimer ’ s diagnosis and treatment .

Approved Alzheimer ’ s treatments are indicated for people with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer ’ s or mild Alzheimer ’ s dementia , and they must have confirmed amyloid-beta biology in the brain . Therefore , it ’ s important to identify people who might benefit as early in

the course of the disease as possible .

There are often lengthy wait times to complete comprehensive testing for an Alzheimer ’ s diagnosis due to the limited number of Alzheimer ’ s specialists and the growing aging population .

The model included the projected U . S . population of people age 55 and older from 2023-32 . It suggests by 2033 people will wait an average of nearly six years ( 70 months ) to understand if they could be eligible for new Alzheimer ’ s treatments if their primary care doctor only used brief cognitive assessments to make referrals . If blood tests were used to rule out Alzheimer ’ s , the average wait times would be reduced to 13 months for Alzheimer ’ s patients because far fewer patients would need to see a specialist .

Researchers also

determined if blood tests and brief cognitive assessments were used at the primary care level to rule in the possibility of an Alzheimer ’ s diagnosis , wait times to understand eligibility for new treatments would fall to less than six months on average because of reduced demand for Alzheimer ’ s specialists and the additional capacity now available for CSF or PET testing .

“ Our results suggest using blood tests to identify potential candidates for treatments could make a significant difference in treating people with early Alzheimer ’ s ,” said Soeren Mattke , M . D ., D . Sc ., lead author of the study and director of the Brain Health Observatory at the University of Southern California , Los Angeles . “ Currently , eligible patients are falling outside of the treatment window because it takes so

long to receive a diagnosis . An easy-to-use blood test could help address that problem .”

Nearly 7 million Americans age 65 and older have Alzheimer ’ s dementia including 236,200 in Ohio , according to the Alzheimer ’ s Association 2024 Alzheimer ’ s Disease Facts and Figures . One in three seniors dies with the disease — more than breast and prostate cancer combined . A total of 414,000 Ohio caregivers provide 624 million hours of unpaid care each year , valued at over $ 11.4 billion .

Those concerned about themselves or a loved one can contact the Alzheimer ’ s Association Cleveland Area Chapter at 216-342-5556 to schedule a care consultation and be connected to local resources . The Alzheimer ’ s Association ’ s Helpline can be reached 24 / 7 at 800-272-3900 .

AUGUST 14 TH TO 16 TH , 2024

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