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Home Blood Test and Online Checks Flag Alzheimer’s Risk in Small Study

Experts say larger, diverse studies must confirm accuracy before routine use.

Overview

  • The University of Exeter team reported Wednesday in Nature Communications that 174 PROTECT participants used a postal finger‑prick kit and online brain tests, and biomarker levels tracked with test performance.
  • The test measured p‑tau217 and GFAP in capillary blood, and p‑tau217 showed the strongest links to Alzheimer’s disease on the computerized tasks.
  • Using these measures, researchers sorted people into low, medium, or high risk to guide who should get confirmatory scans or spinal fluid tests, treatment, or monitoring.
  • Alzheimer’s Research UK and other experts welcomed the at‑home approach but called for larger, more diverse, real‑world validation to establish accuracy and clinical value.
  • In India, Metropolis Healthcare began a limited plasma biomarker test rollout to about 50–60 patients and cited high sensitivity and specificity based on company data and FDA‑referenced studies.