Blood-based tau pathology test for Alzheimer’s disease in development

A clinical diagnostics company and biotech firm have announced a partnership to develop a blood-based tau pathology test that would assist in the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

In a press release, Veravas said that the collaboration with Phanes Biotech will arise from the former’s VeraBIND technology and include Phanes’ proprietary antibody designed to target and bind to tau proteins in the brain.

The investigational assay is expected to detect active disease through analysis of binding activity occurring in the brain between hyperphosphorylated tau and normal tau, both indicators of disease pathology.

"The status quo in Alzheimer's disease diagnostics has many challenges, including uncertainties and accessibility hurdles, that we think can be overcome,” Josh Soldo, chief scientific officer of Veravas, told Healio in an email. “Working with researchers in the Alzheimer's disease community, we are in the process of creating and validating a better diagnostic solution, which we believe can improve clinicians' ability to quickly and easily diagnose Alzheimer's disease."

According to the release, examining tau pathology — defined as a buildup of neurofibrillary tangles composed of tau protein — is the optimal diagnostic and prognostic marker for AD. Evidence of tauopathy is a strong indicator of disease progression and eventual cognitive decline, and tau PET imaging is the sole diagnostic option for detecting tau for accurate AD diagnoses. Barriers such as high cost and long wait times for testing often make this imaging impractical, leading the industry to focus on blood-based biomarker testing as a rapid, accurate method of disease detection.

“The growing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease has created a tidal wave of scientific discovery and therapeutic innovation in the category,” Khalid Iqbal, PhD, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Phanes Biotech, told Healio in an email. “To realize the development and value of these products as they come into clinical testing and into the marketplace require better practical tools to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease sooner, potentially slowing the progression of this disease.”