Alamar Biosciences announced today a significant advancement in neurodegenerative disease diagnostics with the expansion of its NULISAseq™ CNS Disease Panel 120. The enhanced panel now includes groundbreaking assays for brain-derived phosphorylated tau (pTau) proteins that can be measured directly from blood samples, offering unprecedented sensitivity and specificity for Alzheimer's disease and other tauopathies.
The expanded panel features brain-derived pTau217, pTau181, pTau231, and total tau (tTau) protein assays that overcome a critical limitation in current testing methods: the inability to distinguish between tau proteins originating in the brain versus those from peripheral tissues. This distinction is crucial for accurate diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegenerative conditions.
Breakthrough in Blood-Based Biomarkers
Phosphorylated tau has emerged as a vital biomarker for early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease. Until now, researchers faced significant challenges in differentiating between brain-derived and peripheral tau proteins in blood samples, limiting the clinical utility of blood-based tests.
"Researchers have long sought a reliable, blood-based solution to track brain-derived tau pathology," said Dr. Yuling Luo, CEO, Founder and Chairman of Alamar Biosciences. "By integrating assays for pTau217, pTau181, pTau231, and total tau into our NULISAseq CNS Disease 120 Panel, we are enabling scientists to explore the full spectrum of tau pathology with exceptional sensitivity and throughput."
The new technology allows for simultaneous measurement of two suites of multiple tau species: one specific for brain-derived tau and another combining brain- and peripheral tissue-derived tau species. This comprehensive approach provides researchers with a more complete picture of tau pathology in neurodegenerative diseases.
Clinical Implications for Alzheimer's Research
The ability to detect brain-derived tau proteins in blood represents a potentially transformative advancement in Alzheimer's disease research and clinical management. Blood tests are significantly less invasive and more accessible than traditional cerebrospinal fluid sampling or specialized brain imaging.
Nicholas Ashton, Ph.D., Director of Neurodegenerative Biomarker Research at Banner Health, highlighted the significance of this development: "The ability to detect brain-derived pTau species directly from blood represents a transformative step in the early detection and monitoring of Alzheimer's Disease and related disorders. Until now, we've been unable to differentiate between brain-derived and peripheral pTaus in a multiplexed manner."
Dr. Ashton added that recent evidence has emphasized the importance of detecting brain-derived pTau for greater specificity in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. "Alamar's new CNS panel offers an unprecedented opportunity to further improve the diagnostic accuracy and clinical utilities of these biomarkers, which will dramatically impact patient care and clinical research," he noted.
Advancing Precision Medicine in Neurology
The expanded panel is expected to accelerate biomarker-driven research and drug development in Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. By providing more specific and sensitive measurements of tau pathology, researchers can better understand disease progression, identify patients for clinical trials, and monitor treatment responses.
Alamar's technology builds on the company's proprietary NULISA Platform, which reportedly achieves single-digit attomolar detection sensitivity—far surpassing current protein detection technologies. This exceptional sensitivity is particularly valuable for detecting the minute quantities of brain-derived proteins that cross the blood-brain barrier.
The company emphasized its commitment to partnering with the neuroscience community to unlock biomarker insights that drive earlier diagnosis, patient stratification, and therapeutic monitoring. This collaborative approach aligns with the growing emphasis on precision medicine in neurology, where treatments are increasingly tailored to specific disease mechanisms and patient characteristics.
Future Directions
As Alzheimer's disease affects millions worldwide with numbers expected to grow significantly in coming decades, the development of accessible and accurate diagnostic tools remains a critical research priority. Blood-based biomarkers represent a promising approach to earlier diagnosis, potentially before symptoms appear, when interventions might be most effective.
Alamar Biosciences' advancement comes at a time when several disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer's are entering clinical use, increasing the importance of accurate diagnosis and patient selection. The ability to specifically detect brain-derived tau proteins in blood could potentially help identify patients most likely to benefit from these treatments.
The expanded NULISAseq CNS Disease Panel 120 is now available to researchers and pharmaceutical companies engaged in neurodegenerative disease research and drug development. Alamar Biosciences indicates that this technology could significantly impact the field's ability to develop and validate new therapeutic approaches for these devastating conditions.
