A new study published in Neurology Clinical Practice, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has found that two blood tests using multiple biomarkers are very accurate in finding Alzheimer’s disease in people who show symptoms. These tests can help doctors make a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and might cut down on the need for more invasive or expensive tests like amyloid PET scans or spinal fluid tests.
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The research was done by scientists at Quest Diagnostics and the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of Florida. The study shows that blood tests can meet the standards used for diagnosing Alzheimer’s. Both tests may help doctors confirm Alzheimer’s without needing extra tests, making it easier for patients and doctors.
Dr. Michael Racke, Senior Medical Director of Neurology at Quest Diagnostics and a board-certified neurologist, said the study shows how blood tests can meet high scientific standards for identifying Alzheimer’s. He added that these tests can offer reliable information for patient care. Dr. Racke also noted that the tests had a low rate of unclear results—around ten percent—which means doctors may feel more confident interpreting the results in real life.
The study looked at two blood tests developed by Quest. One test measures amyloid beta (AB) 42/40, phosphorylated tau (p-tau) 217, and ApoE4 proteotype, which shows genetic risk for Alzheimer’s. Quest will release an updated version of this test in early 2026. The second test includes AB 42/40 and p-tau 217 but not ApoE4 and was launched in April 2025 as the AD-Detect ABeta 42/40 and p-tau217 Evaluation Panel.
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Both tests were tested on 215 people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer’s. About 46 percent of these people tested positive for amyloid using PET scans. The study found both tests had 91 percent sensitivity and 91 percent specificity, which matches what leading Alzheimer’s groups recommend for blood-based tests. The Alzheimer’s Association and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s recommend that these tests be around 90 percent accurate to be reliable alternatives to spinal fluid tests. Using these standards, the test that included all three biomarkers had a positive predictive value (PPV) of 88 percent, meaning most positive results were accurate, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 91 percent, meaning most negative results were correct. The test without ApoE4 had a slightly lower PPV at 87 percent, but the NPV stayed the same at 91 percent. Both tests had a low chance of uncertainty, with the three-biomarker test showing ten percent indeterminate results and the two-biomarker test showing fifteen percent. The CEOi recommends tests in this category should have no more than fifteen to twenty percent of samples marked as uncertain.
The study’s findings were first shared during the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in San Diego in April 2025. Quest uses advanced mass spectrometry to measure AB 42/40 and ApoE4 proteotype, while p-tau 217 is measured through a third-party immunoassay. These tests are meant for doctors to help evaluate patients who have signs of cognitive decline or suspect Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s affects nearly seven million Americans and is the most common type of dementia. Experts predict this number could double to fourteen million by 2060. About 12 to 18 percent of adults over sixty experience mild cognitive impairment, which can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s. A recent Quest survey found that 94 percent of doctors believe blood-based tests would be more cost-effective and less invasive compared to current methods like lumbar punctures or PET scans.
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