Source: Clinical Lab Products
Nearly 500,000 Americans will receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s in 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, adding to the more than 7 million people in the U.S. aged 65 and older who are already living with Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to double by 2050.
Even with these seemingly high numbers dementia is often underdiagnosed. Underdiagnosis occurs mainly in the early stages of dementia, and a recent study estimates that only 8% of older Americans living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) receive a diagnosis.
Two proteins, amyloid and tau, are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. As these proteins accumulate in neurofibrillary tangles and form plaque in the brain, they disrupt signals from neurons to different parts of the brain, causing cognitive decline. Michael Racke, MD, medical director for neurology at Quest Diagnostics, says that as recently as the 1980s, the telltale plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s could only be detected postmortem, and since there was no treatment, diagnosing the disease wasn’t as critical at the time. Now, tests can detect the disease while the patient is alive, offering a chance at diagnosis and treatment.
Related Posts
Spatial Analysis
Snapshots of Health Innovation From the Edison Awards
Building the Tools Parkinson’s Disease Research Needs
A Q&A with Kishore Malyavantham, PhD, VP of R&D at Quanterix and Co-Investigator, PD-BUILD Quanterix has been named a Co-Investigator institution in PD-BUILD (Biomarker Utilization, Innovation, and Laboratory-to-Deployment), a new project…
Quanterix Named to ASAP CRN 2026 PD-BUILD Program with MJFF Support
Part of a global effort to advance Parkinson’s disease biomarkers through standardized, scalable assay development Quanterix has been selected as a Co-Investigator institution in the PD-BUILD program, part of the…
Neurology
Why biomarkers are no longer supplemental
Quanterix makes the case with ctDNA in oncology, p-tau217 in Alzheimer’s and a lab model built for longitudinal, regulatory-grade data. Biomarkers have moved from “nice-to-have” to the backbone of drug…
Neurology
Preparing The Market for Blood-Based Biomarkers
Shana Tetrault, PhD, Director of Product Marketing at Quanterix, outlined strategies for integrating blood-based biomarkers into routine clinical care pathways, ensuring minimal disruption for patients and clinicians. Watch the full…
Neurology
Challenges of Positioning an Ultra-Sensitive Platform
Shana Tetrault, PhD, Director of Product Marketing at Quanterix, discussed challenges in positioning Simoa in the precision health market, stressing its accuracy and reliability in diverse populations. Watch the full…
Neurology
Translating Complex Scientific Findings into Actionable Insights
Shana Tetrault, PhD, Director of Product Marketing at Quanterix, discussed translating complex scientific findings into actionable insights for healthcare providers and stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of early disease detection. Watch…
Neurology
AI and the rise of blood-based biomarkers heralds new era for neurological diagnostics
Advances in blood-based biomarkers are transforming early and accurate Alzheimer’s disease detection, offering less invasive, cost-effective alternatives to traditional diagnostic methods. Quanterix, a company working at the very frontiers of…