Head-to-head comparison of plasma p-tau217 immunoassays for incipient Alzheimer’s disease in community cohorts
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Plasma p-tau217 is a promising biomarker for detecting incipient AD pathology, but direct comparison of different p-tau217 assays in community-based cohorts are limited. METHODS: We evaluated two cohorts from southwestern Pennsylvania, USA; the MYHAT-NI study, which included two-year longitudinal follow-up neuroimaging assessments of Aβ, tau, and cortical thickness; and the Human Connectome Project/CoBRA cohort, targeting a 50:50 split of self-identified Black and non-Hispanic White individuals. Plasma p-tau217 was measured using four different assays: Lumipulse, Johnson & Johnson, ALZpath, and NULISA. Aβ and tau pathologies were assessed with [11C]PiB PET and [18F]Flortaucipir PET, respectively. Clinical Dementia Rating and Montreal Cognitive Assessment were used to assess cognitive performance. RESULTS: We included 344 participants (MYHAT-NI: n = 111, median age 76 [IQR: 72–80], 54% female; HCP/CoBRA: n = 234, median age 62 [IQR: 52–70], 65% female). All four p-tau217 assays exhibited moderate to strong cross-platform correlations (Spearman correlations of 0.40–0.86), and statistically equivalent AUCs (of 0.84–0.90) for determining Aβ positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show strong equivalent performances of plasma p-tau217 assays to identify amyloid positivity across two highly diverse cohorts of community-dwelling older adults.
Source: Alzheimer s Research & Therapy
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,290
Awards: G1058046096, Alzheimer neuroimaging-biomarkers in pre-clinical cognitive decline from a population-based study, The role of astrogliosis in aging and the pathological and clinical progression of Alzheimer's Disease, G2442294994, Myosteatosis, Cognition and Blood Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease in Persons of African Ancestry, G707218699, G8047434374, G8077616060, G9000208814, G9000216768, G9000300274, G9000331231, Alzheimer Diagnosis in older Adults with Chronic Conditions ADACC Network, Examining the Persistence of Neurocognitive Benefits of Exercise, Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Prospective Community Study, Alzheimer Disease Research Center, Longitudinal multicenter head-to-head harmonization of tau PET tracers, Head-to-head comparisons of high-performance plasma phospho-tau epitopes for the detection of Alzheimer's disease, Plasma brain-derived tau: a novel Alzheimer’s disease-type neurodegeneration biomarker with potential to complete the AT(N) scheme in blood, The RAW Brain - The Effect of Rumination, Anxiety and Worry on Aging and Dementia Risk, Brain CHEC-AC (Brain and Cognitive Health Equity Campaign for Allegheny County), Analytical characterization and validation of blood-biomarkers for monitoring TBI evolution, Predictors of Altered CNS Structure, Function, and Connectomics in the Elderly using a Health Disparities Framework, Roles of Gray Matter Brain Aging and Small Vessel Disease in AD Pathophysiology
OpenAlex ID: W7127889386