Washington University School of Medicine (WashU Medicine) researchers have developed an Alzheimer’s blood test symptom prediction model that estimates when individuals may begin to show signs of the disease.
This new approach can forecast symptom onset within a three to four-year window.
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The study was part of a project initiated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium. WashU Medicine is a member of this public-private partnership.
Based on a single blood test, the predictive model could play a role in future clinical trials for preventive Alzheimer’s treatments and support early identification of candidates most likely to benefit from emerging therapies.
The team’s model uses plasma levels of p-tau217, a protein, to estimate age at symptom onset. For this study, researchers analysed data from two Alzheimer’s research cohorts: the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center, and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative.
This study involved 603 older adults living independently in their communities.
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By GlobalDataPlasma p-tau217 was measured using tests such as PrecivityAD2 from C2N Diagnostics and other US Food and Drug Administration-cleared assays.
Findings demonstrated that individuals with elevated p-tau217 at age 60 developed symptoms around 20 years later, while those with higher levels at age 80 showed symptoms after 11 years.
All code for the model is publicly available for further refinement.
WashU Medicine neurology department associate professor Suzanne Schindler said: “Our work shows the feasibility of using blood tests, which are substantially cheaper and more accessible than brain imaging scans or spinal fluid tests, for predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.
“In the near term, these models will accelerate our research and clinical trials. Eventually, the goal is to be able to tell individual patients when they are likely to develop symptoms, which will help them and their doctors to develop a plan to prevent or slow symptoms.”
