New Alzheimer’s blood test in clinical trials

There’s breaking news in the world of Alzheimer’s research. A new blood test that’s currently in clinical trials is vastly more accurate than current testing for detecting the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s. Jessica Duncan, program director for the Alzheimer’s Association Iowa chapter spoke with Our Quad Cities News via Zoom to talk about the remarkable development.

“Not only do we have a blood test for biomarkers, specifically in regards to the Alzheimer’s specific diagnosis, but it’s very accurate,” she said. “One study that was reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this week says a blood test has around 90% accuracy in identifying Alzheimer’s in patients with cognitive symptoms, often in primary care and at specialized memory care clinics. In the research study, it outperformed primary care physicians, who are 63% accurate when not using the blood tests, and specialists, who were 73% accurate when not using the blood test. This blood test could be used for multiple biomarkers, so it kind of depends on the conversation that you have with the provider and where you’re at. If someone is past that mild cognitive impairment point, then it might not be as helpful for dementia but maybe they would do the blood test for other reasons.”

According to a news release from the Alzheimer’s Association, “blood tests that show the most promise for identifying Alzheimer’s-related changes in the brain assess phosphorylated tau (p-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.” The test not only reveals biomarkers for Alzheimer’s, but other forms of dementia, like frontotemporal dementia with primary progressive aphasia, which affect both Bruce Willis and Duncan’s father.

While this is welcome news for families dealing with Alzheimer’s, but the test isn’t ready for patients yet. “We’ve got a couple years before it’s going be in all of our primary cares. For us in Iowa specifically, we do have some researchers who are able to do it with clinical trials in Des Moines right now, so we are very fortunate in that fact that we do have a physician that is doing it.” Duncan has personal reasons for being excited about the new test. “This information is really important not only for specifically with Alzheimer’s, but my family connection. My dad had a rare form of dementia at 53 and passed at 58. His type of dementia was not Alzheimer’s but it was tau-related. Tau research is really ramping up, which is exciting for other families that have something outside of Alzheimer’s within their family.”

Duncan, who has personally participated in two clinical trials, explains how people can get connected. “We have something called trial match, which can be found at alz.org . It’s kind of like a matching site, like a dating site for finding you the right research study. That’s how I was plugged into both of the studies that I was eligible for, as a caregiver. It doesn’t have to be someone with a diagnosis; it can be a healthy individual, it can be a caregiver.” The chapter will help people who have difficulty navigating the system. “We actually have at least eight active studies that are going on in the state of Iowa as of now. We really are making strides, even in our rural areas, in Iowa their fly over state. That’s a way that people can still feel like they’re doing something outside of our events, outside of our educations.” She said participating wasn’t difficult at all. “All they asked me for was spit the first time and the second one was hair. They did ask for some hair for cortisol levels.”

While the blood test works its way through clinical trials, Duncan says there are ways people can reduce their risk of developing the condition. “People can definitely make healthy lifestyle choices every day with their diet and exercise,” she said. “Some of the ways that you can do that is exercise at our events that are coming up in September and October here in Iowa. We have nineteen walks across the state. We do a virtual monthly education every month and so I get to teach that and work with volunteers that do support groups and educations free within the community. We have a lot of resources, you can reach out to us.”

Click here for more information, including resources and connecting with trials.

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