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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
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Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
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Biomarkers.
Maria Capdevila1, Raquel Puerta1, Laura Montrreal1
1Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
Alzheimer'S & Dementia : the Journal of the Alzheimer'S Association
|December 24, 2025
Summary
Plasma pTau217 shows promise as a screening tool for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk, outperforming pTau181 in preclinical stages. Further validation is needed before widespread clinical adoption.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomarker Discovery
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- The advent of Disease Modifying Drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) necessitates reliable diagnostic tools.
- Plasma biomarkers are emerging as a practical solution for AD risk assessment in clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of plasma pTau217 as a screening tool for AD risk in a real-world memory clinic setting.
- To compare the performance of plasma pTau217 against plasma pTau181 and established diagnostic methods.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 2353 paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma samples from patients with cognitive decline.
- Measurement of plasma pTau181 and pTau217 using the Lumipulse G1200 platform.
- Statistical analysis including ROC curves, correlation, and survival analysis.
Main Results:
- Plasma pTau217 strongly correlated with CSF biomarkers and showed high diagnostic accuracy (AUC=0.97).
- Plasma pTau217 demonstrated superior performance over pTau181 in preclinical AD stages.
- Plasma pTau217 levels correlated with AD-related brain changes on MRI and predicted MCI to AD dementia conversion.
Conclusions:
- Plasma pTau217 is a robust biomarker for screening AD risk, particularly in preclinical stages.
- While promising, plasma biomarkers require further validation and are not yet standalone diagnostic tests.
- Continued research is essential to refine plasma biomarkers for eventual replacement of CSF/PET diagnostics.
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