Collaboration Combines AI Cognitive Assessment and RNA Blood Testing for Earlier Alzheimer’s Detection

Alzheimer’s disease is often identified only after substantial neurodegeneration, partly because current diagnostic pathways are fragmented and difficult to scale. As treatment shifts toward earlier intervention, objective assessment and confirmation of disease biology are increasingly important. A new collaboration brings these approaches together by combining an AI-driven cognitive assessment with a blood-based circular RNA biomarker test to support earlier identification, patient stratification, and monitoring.

Circular Genomics (San Diego, CA, USA) and Altoida (Washington, DC, USA) have announced plans to integrate Circular Genomics’ blood-based circular RNA (circRNA) biomarker platform with Altoida’s AI-powered Digital NeuroMarker platform. The effort is designed to deliver a first-of-its-kind multimodal biology-and-function workflow for Alzheimer’s disease. The partners intend to improve early identification, patient stratification, and longitudinal monitoring by pairing molecular signatures of neurodegeneration with objective measures of cognitive function.

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The proposed workflow begins with a 10-minute, self-administered digital assessment that captures multimodal data across motor, speech, and cognitive domains. Patients would then undergo a confirmatory blood test measuring circRNA indicators of disease biology and pathology. Designed to fit into routine clinical workflows, this digital-first pathway aims to reduce reliance on lengthy specialist neuropsychological batteries while supporting earlier intervention. Real-world evidence studies are planned to evaluate the combined approach in both clinical research and frontline care settings, with initial pilots expected later in 2026.

In parallel, Altoida is preparing a pivotal study to support U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of its Digital NeuroMarker platform for use across healthcare settings. The platform is currently intended for investigational use only, has not received FDA clearance or approval, and is not available for commercial sale.

The collaboration follows publication of Circular Genomics’ Nature Medicine study reporting that a blood-based circRNA signature predicts progression to symptomatic Alzheimer’s disease years before clinical onset and provides information complementary to established amyloid and tau biomarkers. It also builds on peer‑reviewed evidence for Altoida’s approach, including a study in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring showing the Digital NeuroMarker platform accurately detects mild cognitive impairment via a brief self‑administered assessment and, when used before blood biomarker testing, enhances the performance of a scalable frontline diagnostic workflow.

Together, the partners aim to establish a multimodal model for precision neurology that supports Alzheimer’s drug development and enables a more scalable, efficient patient‑care pathway.

"The future of Alzheimer's detection and precision neurology will not be built around a single biomarker, but on combining complementary biological signals with cognitive function assessment. Our CircPath platform provides a fundamentally new window into the biology of neurodegeneration, and together with Altoida's digital phenotyping capabilities we believe we can help accelerate therapeutic development while moving the field toward more personalized care earlier in the disease process," said Paul Sargeant, CEO of Circular Genomics.

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