Quest Diagnostics Inc. expanded its Alzheimer’s disease (AD) portfolio with a blood-based biomarker test for phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217). The test joins the company’s plasma tests for p-tau181, beta-amyloid 42/40 ratio and ApoE genetic risk as well as several cerebrospinal fluid tests for Alzheimer’s.
The U.S. FDA granted Roche Holding AG breakthrough device designation for the Elecsys pTau217 assay that it is developing with Eli Lilly and Co. The test will help with the earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease as it will be able to identify pTau217, a phosphorylated fragment of the protein tau, which is a biomarker that can distinguish the disease from other neurodegenerative disorders.
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings expanded its blood biomarker test portfolio for Alzheimer’s disease, making its pTau217 test available by prescription in the U.S. as well as for research globally. The standalone test can also be used in monitoring patients undergoing treatment for the neurodegenerative disease.
CYBERSPACE – Data presented at the virtual 2020 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) and reported in the July 28, 2020, online issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) demonstrated that blood levels of phosphorylated tau-217 (Ptau-217) did as well as cerebrospinal (CSF)- and PET-based biomarkers, and significantly better than other blood-based biomarkers, at discriminating individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from those with other neurodegenerative disorders.