Alzheimer's Disease Biomarker Assay Heading for IVD Status
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 24 Jul 2017 |

Image: A structural representation of the ApoE protein from human blood plasma (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
A clinical diagnostic kit that measures the concentration of the Alzheimer's disease blood biomarker APOEepsilon4 was unveiled at the Alzheimer’s Association Conference held in London, United Kingdom, from July 16-20, 2017.
The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increased by three to five-folds with the presence of one epsilon4 allele and between 15 and 20 times with two alleles.
The frequency of the epsilon4 allele is approximately 40% in patients with AD. Furthermore, APOEepsilon4 carriers progress faster to clinical AD than do APOEepsilon4 non-carriers. Therefore, the presence of one or two epsilon4 alleles of the APOE gene is considered to be highly informative in epidemiological research and is currently being used for patient stratification in the latest clinical trials to evaluate AD treatments.
The Biocross (Valladolid, Spain) ApoE4 Blood Marker Assay is an immunoturbidimetry-based test. Each assay kit consists of two reagents: R1 (which contains a highly specific anti-apoE4 antibody) and R2 (a solution containing latex (polystyrene beads). During the assay, the anti-apoE4 antibody induces the agglutination of latex beads in the presence of apoE4 in the sample. This agglutination is proportional to the concentration of the apoE4 and can be measured manually or automatically with a spectrophotometer.
The ApoE4 Blood Marker Assay can be used with manageable cost in any of the clinical biochemistry analyzers that are available in most hospitals or clinical centers. The risk indicator is determined by a cost-effective and accurate blood test that is scheduled to obtain the European IVD CE mark and will be submitted for [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration approval by the end of the year.
Matthew Mittino, CEO of Biocross, said, “Introducing our risk test ApoE4 Blood Marker Assay to experts, researchers, physicians, neurologists, and specialists in neurodegenerative diseases from more than 70 countries, will mark a before and an after within clinical practice. It is a risk indicator that is already a qualitative leap, a cost-effective alternative in front of the existing ones. Now, the next step is to carry out an important information work to show its advantages to all professionals of the industry and to make it useful for improving people life quality.”
Related Links:
Biocross
The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increased by three to five-folds with the presence of one epsilon4 allele and between 15 and 20 times with two alleles.
The frequency of the epsilon4 allele is approximately 40% in patients with AD. Furthermore, APOEepsilon4 carriers progress faster to clinical AD than do APOEepsilon4 non-carriers. Therefore, the presence of one or two epsilon4 alleles of the APOE gene is considered to be highly informative in epidemiological research and is currently being used for patient stratification in the latest clinical trials to evaluate AD treatments.
The Biocross (Valladolid, Spain) ApoE4 Blood Marker Assay is an immunoturbidimetry-based test. Each assay kit consists of two reagents: R1 (which contains a highly specific anti-apoE4 antibody) and R2 (a solution containing latex (polystyrene beads). During the assay, the anti-apoE4 antibody induces the agglutination of latex beads in the presence of apoE4 in the sample. This agglutination is proportional to the concentration of the apoE4 and can be measured manually or automatically with a spectrophotometer.
The ApoE4 Blood Marker Assay can be used with manageable cost in any of the clinical biochemistry analyzers that are available in most hospitals or clinical centers. The risk indicator is determined by a cost-effective and accurate blood test that is scheduled to obtain the European IVD CE mark and will be submitted for [U.S.] Food and Drug Administration approval by the end of the year.
Matthew Mittino, CEO of Biocross, said, “Introducing our risk test ApoE4 Blood Marker Assay to experts, researchers, physicians, neurologists, and specialists in neurodegenerative diseases from more than 70 countries, will mark a before and an after within clinical practice. It is a risk indicator that is already a qualitative leap, a cost-effective alternative in front of the existing ones. Now, the next step is to carry out an important information work to show its advantages to all professionals of the industry and to make it useful for improving people life quality.”
Related Links:
Biocross
Latest Technology News
- New AI Tool Enables Rapid Treatment Selection in Pediatric Leukemia
- Rapid Biosensor Detects Drug Sensitivity in Breast Tumors
- Breakthrough Mass Spectrometry Design Could Enable Ultra-Low Abundance Detection
- Online Tool Supports Family Screening for Inherited Cancer Risk
- Portable Breath Sensor Detects Pneumonia Biomarkers in Minutes
- New Electronic Pipette Enhances Workflows with Touchscreen Control
- AI Model Outperforms Clinicians in Rare Disease Detection
- AI-Driven Diagnostic Demonstrates High Accuracy in Detecting Periprosthetic Joint Infection
- Blood Test “Clocks” Predict Start of Alzheimer’s Symptoms
- AI-Powered Biomarker Predicts Liver Cancer Risk
- Robotic Technology Unveiled for Automated Diagnostic Blood Draws
- ADLM Launches First-of-Its-Kind Data Science Program for Laboratory Medicine Professionals
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
Blood Metabolite Test Detects Early Cognitive Decline
Timely identification of individuals at risk of dementia remains difficult because symptoms commonly appear only after significant neurodegeneration. Accessible screening tools that flag subtle cognitive... Read more
AI-Based Blood Test Diagnose Multiple Brain Disorders from Blood Sample
Diagnosing the cause of age-related cognitive symptoms remains challenging because clinical presentations of neurodegenerative diseases often overlap, and multiple pathologies can co-occur... Read moreHematology
view channel
Rapid Cartridge-Based Test Aims to Expand Access to Hemoglobin Disorder Diagnosis
Sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia are hemoglobin disorders that often require referral to specialized laboratories for definitive diagnosis, delaying results for patients and clinicians.... Read more
New Guidelines Aim to Improve AL Amyloidosis Diagnosis
Light chain (AL) amyloidosis is a rare, life-threatening bone marrow disorder in which abnormal amyloid proteins accumulate in organs. Approximately 3,260 people in the United States are diagnosed... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Antibody Blood Test Identifies Active TB and Distinguishes Latent Infection
Active tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death and illness worldwide, yet distinguishing contagious disease from latent infection continues to challenge clinicians. Standard screening tools... Read more
FDA Approval Expands Use of PD-L1 Companion Diagnostic in Esophageal and GEJ Carcinomas
Esophageal and gastroesophageal junction carcinomas (GEJ) have a poor prognosis, with approximately 16,250 deaths in the United States in 2025 and a five-year relative survival of 21.9%.... Read more
Study Identifies Inflammatory Pathway Driving Immunotherapy Resistance in Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer remains a prevalent malignancy with variable responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Clinicians often observe elevated C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 in affected patients, yet the... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
New Bacterial Target Identified for Early Detection of Noma
Noma is a rapidly progressing orofacial infection that begins as gingivitis and can destroy oral and facial tissues, primarily affecting young children living in extreme poverty. Without treatment, it... Read more
Genomic Analysis Links Emerging Streptococcal Strains to Specific Infections
Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) infections are increasing worldwide and include variants that may lead to severe disease. Researchers now report that whole-genome sequencing of... Read morePathology
view channel
AI Tool Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Benefit in Breast Cancer
Selecting adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer is typically guided by recurrence risk and population-level averages rather than patient-specific benefit. However, existing clinicopathologic... Read more
AI-Based Pathology Model Guides Chemotherapy Decisions in Breast Cancer
Selecting adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer remains a difficult decision because only a subset benefits and many undergo toxicity without gain. Genomic assays can help but are costly,... Read moreTechnology
view channel
New AI Tool Enables Rapid Treatment Selection in Pediatric Leukemia
Children with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia face an aggressive disease that remains difficult to treat. Although remission rates have improved, many survivors experience long-term effects from intensive... Read more
Breakthrough Mass Spectrometry Design Could Enable Ultra-Low Abundance Detection
Mass spectrometry is central to identifying and quantifying molecules in complex biological samples, but conventional instruments typically analyze ions sequentially, which can limit detection of rare species.... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Takara Bio USA and Hamilton Partner Partner to Automate NGS Library Preparation
Takara Bio USA, Inc. (San Jose, CA, USA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc., and Hamilton Company (Reno, NV, USA) announced a development and co-marketing agreement to deliver integrated, automated... Read more







