Ultra-Sensitive Blood Biomarkers Enable Population-Scale Insights into Alzheimer’s Pathology

Accurately estimating how many people carry Alzheimer’s disease pathology has long been a challenge, as traditional methods rely on small, clinic-based samples rather than the general population. Many individuals may carry disease-related brain changes for years without symptoms, limiting opportunities for early intervention and planning. A large new study now shows that blood-based biomarkers can reveal the true prevalence of Alzheimer’s-related pathology at a population level.

In the study by Quanterix Corporation (Billerica, MA, USA), researchers used the company’s Simoa p-Tau 217 research assay to measure phosphorylated tau in blood, a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathological changes. The assay was run using a validated commercial kit on a fully automated HD-X analyzer, allowing scalable and reproducible testing across thousands of samples.

Image: The Simoa p-Tau 217 research assay measures phosphorylated tau in blood (Photo courtesy of Quanterix)

The researchers analyzed blood samples from a Norwegian population-based cohort of more than 11,000 individuals aged 58 years and older. This approach addressed a major limitation in Alzheimer’s epidemiology by capturing data from a representative general population rather than selected clinical groups. The study assessed the presence of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathological changes and examined associations with age, sex, genetic risk factors, and education level.

The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathological changes increased sharply with age, rising from 10% in individuals aged 58 to 69.9 years to 64.9% in those over 90 years. Among participants aged 70 and above, 30.4% showed evidence of pathology, including preclinical disease, prodromal disease, and Alzheimer’s dementia. The findings, published in Nature, suggest that Alzheimer’s dementia prevalence in older adults may be higher than previously estimated.

The study enables more confident identification of asymptomatic individuals who may benefit from early intervention or enrollment in clinical trials. The data also indicate that around 10% of people aged 70 and older meet current treatment eligibility criteria, offering actionable insight for healthcare planning. Researchers believe population-scale blood testing could transform public health strategies, drug development, and preparation for disease-modifying therapies.

“The sheer scale of this research underscores the indispensable role of highly sensitive biomarker detection in advancing public health understanding,” said Masoud Toloue, CEO at Quanterix. “Our Simoa technology continues to be the enabling platform for generating population-level epidemiological insights that are necessary for planning drug development, optimizing clinical trials, and preparing healthcare systems for the future of Alzheimer’s treatment.”

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