Blood Biomarkers and Alzheimers

Thomas Karikari, M.D holds the Endowed Faculty position in Peripheral Biomarker for Brain Disorders. He is Director of the Biomarker and Neurogenetics Core and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Clinical and Translational Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

This podcast discusses the role of biomarkers in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, presently or in the patient future. The test is FDA approved.

The deployment of such a test depends in part upon on the predictive power of this blood test.

Deployment of this test requires thoughtful consideration in its use, given patients knowledge, informed consent, their understanding and expectations.

References

1. Karikari, Thomas K et al. Blood phosphorylated tau 181 as a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease: a diagnostic performance and prediction modelling study using data from four prospective cohorts. The Lancet. Neurology vol. 19,5 (2020): 422-433. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30071-5 The Lacent Neurology
2. Islam, Tohidul et al. Phospho-tau serine-262 and serine-356 as biomarkers of pre-tangle soluble tau assemblies in Alzheimer's disease. Nature medicine vol. 31,2 (2025): 574-588. doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03400-0 naturemedicine
3. Rubin R. Alzheimer Disease Blood Test Cleared for Primary Care, but Questions Remain About Its Use. JAMA. 2026;335(1):7–9. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.21573