New Blood Test Establishes Alzheimer’s with Over 90% Accuracy

Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute and Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center have developed a highly accurate blood test for Alzheimer’s disease detection, SciTech Daily reported. The test measures the biomarker phospho-tau217, showing over 90% accuracy in diagnosing Alzheimer’s among hospital patients. The study, involving 1,767 participants from hospitals in Barcelona, Sweden, and Italy, validated the automated Lumipulse p-tau217 test developed by Fujirebio.

This blood test enables earlier detection of Alzheimer’s, potentially reducing the need for invasive procedures like lumbar punctures or costly PET scans. It is simple to perform in clinical laboratories and could lower diagnostic costs by 60% to 81%. However, its accuracy is lower in primary care settings and patients over 80 years old.

Researchers emphasize that biomarker results must be interpreted by specialists alongside neurological assessments. The test’s scalability and affordability may improve early diagnosis access and clinical management, but further studies are required before routine clinical implementation.