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4w ago

p‑Tau217 Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer’s Risk as GP Trial Begins

A large pooled JAMA study gives time‑specific risk estimates that could guide trial recruitment and future treatment planning if disease‑modifying drugs prove effective.

FILE - A human brain affected by Alzheimer's disease is displayed at the Museum of Neuroanatomy at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 2003. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)
Blood tests for Alzheimer's are promising, but doctors need to learn best practices for use, experts say.
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Overview

  • Researchers pooled data from six cohorts covering about 2,684 cognitively unimpaired older adults and reported in JAMA that higher plasma p‑tau217 levels track with faster decline and higher absolute risk of cognitive impairment.
  • The study found people with very high p‑tau217 had an estimated 38% risk of cognitive impairment at five years and about 78% at ten years, though the ten‑year numbers are less certain because few participants had decade‑long follow‑up.
  • p‑Tau217 added predictive information beyond amyloid PET scans and APOE4 status, meaning the blood measure gives independent prognostic value when estimating near‑term risk.
  • On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, coverage noted that an assay has received at least one federal clearance and Scotland’s BriDGe primary‑care trial started offering Roche p‑tau tests through more than 50 GP surgeries to refer up to 500 patients.
  • Experts advise against routine screening of healthy people now because results do not yet change care; near‑term uses are identifying volunteers for prevention trials, monitoring in research settings, and planning for possible future early treatments.