Taipei: Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) announced a significant research breakthrough that enables a simple blood test to detect individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease with approximately 90 percent accuracy by analyzing specific proteins in blood plasma.
According to Focus Taiwan, one in every 12 people in Taiwan aged 65 and above is at risk of dementia, stated Fuh Jong-ling, deputy head of TVGH's Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, at a news conference held at the hospital.
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia, accounting for 56.88 percent of cases, as reported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) in 2024 and cited by Fuh. The disease is caused by the accumulation of proteins in the brain that leads to the death of neurons, characterized by two key pathological features, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, explained Fuh. Previously, diagnosing Alzheimer's relied on invasive and costly methods such as cerebrospinal fluid analysis or positron emission tomography (PET) scans, with a PET scan costing around NT$70,000 (US$2,152).
However, a collaborative team of researchers from Taiwan and South Korea, including Fuh and Lin Yung-shuan of TVGH, discovered a strong correlation between phosphorylated tau proteins (p-tau) in blood plasma and amyloid plaques in the brain. This finding paves the way for a more cost-effective and less invasive method of early detection. The team found that p-tau217, a variant of p-tau, demonstrated greater accuracy in predicting early-stage Alzheimer's than the previously used p-tau181.
In January, the team tested 270 participants from Taiwan and South Korea, including healthy individuals, people with mild cognitive impairment, and dementia patients. By comparing blood test results with PET scans, they found that higher concentrations of p-tau217 in blood plasma were strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease. Among high-risk individuals identified by the blood test, 86 percent were confirmed to have Alzheimer's through PET scans, while 97 percent of low-risk individuals were found to be free of the disease.
Fuh highlighted the public benefit of this research, noting that low-risk individuals identified by the blood test can avoid further testing, while high-risk individuals should receive treatment. The findings suggest that only medium-risk individuals might need additional PET scans, potentially reducing unnecessary testing and enabling earlier detection. Fuh hopes these blood tests will become a first-line screening tool to guide elderly individuals to seek medical attention early after showing symptoms like memory decline.
The study by the Taiwan-South Korean team was featured in an article titled "Cross-cultural validation of plasma p-tau217 and p-tau181 as precision biomarkers for amyloid PET positivity: An East Asian study in Taiwan and Korea," published in the international medical journal Alzheimer's and Dementia in late January.