A New Paradigm in the Detection of Amyloid Pathology: The Emergence of Highly Accurate Blood Tests to Enhance the Diagnostic Odyssey for Patients with Cognitive Impairment
Availability of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) has vastly increased the need for clinical AD biomarker testing. These biomarkers help in determining whether cognitive impairment is caused by AD brain pathology. Biomarker evidence of amyloid pathology is essential prior to initiation of DMTs. This presentation will review the types of AD biomarker tests that are clinically available: amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) and AD blood tests. The IDEAS study (Imaging Dementia – Evidence of Amyloid Scanning) was a community-based research study. This study used PET scans to detect amyloid pathology. A subset of patients in the IDEAS study also received AD blood biomarkers. In this seminar, we will discuss the real-world use of PET scans and review concordance of the PrecivityAD2™ blood test with amyloid PET scans and CSF tests.
Objectives:
Review the lessons learned from IDEAS: real-world performance and utility of amyloid PET scans in a prospective clinical care study of US Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment
Discuss PrecivityAD2™ blood test performance compared to PET scans and CSF tests for the evaluation of amyloid pathology in patients presenting with signs or symptoms of MCI or dementia
Review the importance of pathological biomarker ratios in mitigating differences in quantitative measurements related to age, sex, ethnicity, race, and comorbidities
Gil Rabinovici, MD, PhD
Professor, UCSF Department of Neurology, Memory & Aging Center
Dr. Gil Rabinovici, a distinguished neurologist at UCSF, specializes in memory disorders and brain health in older adults. With degrees from Stanford and Northwestern, he leads groundbreaking research in dementia diagnostics and neurodegenerative diseases, aiming to expedite drug development. Recognized internationally, he directs UCSF’s Alzheimer’s Research Center and chairs major studies on PET imaging’s role in cognitive disorders.
Dr. Joel Braunstein, MD, MBA
Co-Founder and CEO, C2N Diagnostics
Dr. Braunstein is Co-Founder and CEO of C2N Diagnostics and has led the company’s commercial growth since its inception. Dr. Braunstein has played a senior executive role in numerous emerging life sciences companies since 2004. He received his M.D. with Highest Distinction from Northwestern University Medical School in 1996. Subsequently, he trained in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and was a Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson National Clinical Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Additionally, he completed an MBA with a management and health policy focus and maintained an Assistant Professorship in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. In 2010, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Braunstein also serves on the Executive Advisory Board for the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) Institute at Northwestern University.
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