Development of Blood Biomarkers for Dementia Using High-Sensitivity Immunoassay Platforms

Takashi Kudo^1）2）

^1）Professor Emeritus, Osaka University
^2）Dementia Prevention and Treatment Center, Iseikai International General Hospital

Alzheimer’s disease （AD） accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases and is characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.　Despite advancements in imaging techniques like PET and CSF biomarker analysis, their high cost and invasiveness limit widespread use.　Blood biomarkers, offering a less invasive alternative, have gained attention with the advent of high-sensitivity platforms like Simoa and Lumipulse.
This paper explores the development of blood-based biomarkers for AD, focusing on amyloid-beta （Aβ42/40 ratio） and phosphorylated tau （p-tau181, p-tau217）.　Simoa, employing digital ELISA technology, offers superior sensitivity, while Lumipulse provides high-sensitivity chemiluminescent immunoassay options.　Recent studies highlight the promise of p-tau217 as a diagnostic marker, with accuracy comparable to CSF and PET scans.　Neurofilament light chain （NfL） and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） also show potential as non-specific markers for neurodegeneration and astrocyte activation.
This research emphasizes the potential of blood biomarkers to revolutionize AD diagnosis and treatment monitoring.　However, comorbid conditions like kidney dysfunction may influence biomarker levels, necessitating careful interpretation in clinical practice.

Address correspondence to Dr. Takashi Kudo, Dementia Prevention and Treatment Center, Iseikai International General Hospital（4-14 Minamiogi-machi, Kita-ku Osaka 530-0052, Japan）