Advancing Research With Remote Blood Collection for Alzheimer Biomarkers: Hanna Huber, PhD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"Bloodspot card data showed significant differences between amyloid positive and negative in individuals, highlighting its clinical potential. Our next step is to validate the method with a large cohort across Europe and explore the feasibility of remote blood collection for Alzheimer disease research."

According to previous research, plasma biomarkers have shown their capability to indicate the onset of cerebral pathologies underlying neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a recent study on a new blood test, results showed that the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light, phosphorylated tau were significantly associated with the standard blood analysis for diagnosing AD.¹

Lead author Hanna Huber, PhD, presented the findings at the 2023 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, July 16-20, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Huber and colleagues had veins and finger pick blood samples collected from 77 patients in memory clinics which were then transferred onto dry blood spot cards to be extracted and also measured.²

Recently, Huber, a researcher in the department of neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® to further discuss the methods of the study. She talked about how the study demonstrates the effectiveness of bloodspot cards in AD research. Huber also spoke about the significant findings the study revealed about the correlation between bloodspot card data and cognitive tests. Additionally, she shared the plans for the next phase of the study, and the importance of validating the method with a larger cohort.

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REFERENCES
1. Huber H, Montoliu-Gaya L, Blennow K, et al.A finger prick collection method for detecting blood biomarkers of neurodegeneration – a pilot study (DROP-AD).Presented at: 2022 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference; July 16 to July 20; Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Abstract 80275.
2. Simple Finger Prick Test Exemplifies Advances in Alzheimer’s Disease Blood Tests. News Release. Alzheimer’s Association. Published July 19, 2023. Accessed July 19, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/simple-finger-prick-test-exemplifies-advances-in-alzheimers-disease-blood-tests-301879993.html#:~:text=Results%20from%20a%20simple%2C%20finger,have%20access%20to%20the%20test.