Update on Blood Tests for Predicting Alzheimer’s Disease

Written By Joni Henderson

First Published: Friday, December 11, 2020

Recent developments have introduced a blood-based test that could predict Alzheimer’s disease, with more of these tests currently in development. Dr. Sterling Johnson joins the podcast to discuss the significance and accuracy of these blood tests, as well as the impact it will have on Alzheimer’s disease research and care. Guest: Sterling Johnson, PhD, professor of medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Episode Topics:

  • What do biomarkers like brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid tell us about Alzheimer’s disease? 1:18

  • What is the significance of a blood-based biomarker test? 6:08

  • What does the blood test tell us about brain health? 8:14

  • How accurate are the tests? 9:02

  • How are proteins like amyloid or tau found in the bloodstream? 10:28

  • What kind of precautionary steps should be taken before these tests can become readily available? 12:23

  • When do you think these tests will become available? 15:30

  • What do you think is the timeline for the tau protein blood tests? 16:26

Joni Henderson
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