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Blood-based biomarker testing is essential to early Alzheimer's disease risk detection1

When paired with clinical cognitive testing, the Quest AD-Detect® portfolio can help uncover a broader view of your patients’ Alzheimer’s risk. And the sooner you have that information, the sooner you and your patients can take actions like

  • Make more informed referrals so that specialists are ready to take the best next step in patient care
  • Take a proactive approach to planning for the future and care team support 
  • Integrate lifestyle improvements to mitigate risk and help delay disease progression

Blood-based biomarker testing to detect Alzheimer's disease risk is positioned to be the new standard of care. Get ahead of the curve—start including our AD-Detect portfolio in preventive testing for the right patients.

Learn more about how primary care plays a leading role in assessing risk        

Start testing early for Alzheimer's risk

As a primary care provider, you understand the comprehensive health of your patients. The Quest AD-Detect portfolio can expand that view, helping you know when to intervene—and when to refer. 

Identify patients at risk for Alzheimer's disease

Combine the Quest AD-Detect portfolio with clinical cognitive testing as part of preventive care  

Take the appropriate next steps, which could be monitoring changes or referring to a specialist 

Identifying patients who could benefit from our AD-Detect portfolio

Many patients are currently facing common comorbidities that enhance risk for cognitive decline—and there’s a good chance you are already treating them in primary care. The following indicators help determine who might benefit from assessment2:

  

Blood-based testing can uncover microstructural changes in the brain3

Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, such as amyloid beta (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau), may be increasing for years while cognitive impairment is not yet significant enough to be observed through clinical assessment tools such as mini-mental state examinations (MMSE) or other cognitive assessment questionnaires.

Changes in the brain can begin up to 20 years before symptoms appear.4

Expand your approach to risk assessment with our AD-Detect portfolio

Integrating blood-based biomarker testing into risk assessment means additional information for you to deliver more—more biomarkers, more insights, and ultimately a more positive patient experience overall. Combining clinical cognitive assessments and insights from blood-based biomarker testing allows you to balance clinical evaluations with objective data.  

Test code

Test name

Test use

11786

 Quest AD-Detect® Beta-Amyloid 42/40 Ratio, Plasma

Detect Aβ levels, one of the earliest biomarkers associated with AD risk.9 Levels can be monitored over time.

13690

Quest AD-Detect® Phosphorylated tau181 (p-tau181), Plasma

Uncover the presence of p-tau181 proteins, one of the key biomarkers involved in the diagnosis and staging of AD.7 Levels can be monitored over time.

13825

Quest AD-Detect® Phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217), Plasma

Determine levels of p-tau217 proteins, a dynamic and specific biomarker to aid in differentiating AD from other neurocognitive diseases.

12563

 Quest AD-Detect® Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) Assess ApoE isoforms to help determine hereditary AD risk. Additionally useful in determining risk of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) associated with disease modifying therapies.9

Combining blood-based biomarkers may improve prediction of risk for Alzheimer's disease5,6

Testing with plasma Aβ42/40 ratio can reduce unnecessary testing like PET or CSF by 40%,7 and using amyloid and tau (AT) profile combinations can provide even more information to help guide care decisions. 

  

Empowering patients to act

Understanding risk of Alzheimer's disease earlier allows patients to take action and make decisions for the future. This can include

    • Building a care team 

    • Making financial preparations 

    • Legal planning 

    • Navigating lifestyle changes, additional testing, clinical trials, or treatment

How patients can take action

A revolution in Alzheimer’s disease healthcare is underway

A report from Quest Diagnostics reveals physician and US adult perspectives on the current and future landscape of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease evaluation, testing, treatment, and care.  

95%

of physicians agree that the value of a blood test for the early risk of Alzheimer’s disease depends on the quality of education around it.4

91%

of physicians say a blood test for the early assessment of Alzheimer’s disease risk will revolutionize how physicians diagnose the disease.4

81%

of physicians say a blood test for the early assessment of risk will revolutionize how Alzheimer’s disease is monitored over time.4

 

Continue the conversation around AD risk assessment

Start including the Quest AD-Detect® portfolio in your preventive testing today. We are here, ready to answer questions. Connect with one of our in-house experts to continue the conversation, or see the full cognitive testing portfolio here.

 

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References
  1. Schindler SE, Galasko D, Pereira, AC et al. Acceptable performance of blood biomarker tests of amyloid pathology—recommendations from the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s disease. Nat Rev Neurol. Published online June 12, 2024. doi:10.1038/s41582-024-00977-5
  2. Yu J-T, Xu W, Tan C-C, et al. Evidence-based prevention of Alzheimer's disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of 243 observational prospective studies and 153 randomised controlled trials. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2020;91(11):1201-1209. doi:10.1136/jnnp-2019-321913
  3. DeSimone JC, Wang WE, Loewenstein DA, et al. Diffusion MRI relates to plasma a?42/40 in PET negative participants without dementia. Alzheimers Dement. 2024;20(4):2830-2842. doi:10.1002/alz.13693
  4. Vermunt L, Sikkes SAM, van den Hout A, et al. Duration of preclinical, prodromal, and dementia stages of Alzheimer’s disease in relation to age, sex, and APOE genotype. Alzheimers Dement. 2019;15(7):888-898. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2019.04.001
  5. Quest Diagnostics. The Coming Alzheimer’s Disease Healthcare Revolution US Physician and Adult Perspectives on the Future of Diagnostics and Treatment. May 2022. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://www.questdiagnostics.com/content/dam/corporate/brochure-pdfs/The-Coming-Alzheimer%27s-Disease-Healthcare-Revolution-Survey-Report.PDF
  6. Lantero Rodriguez J, Karikari TK, Suárez-Calvet M, et al. Plasma p-tau181 accurately predicts Alzheimer’s disease pathology at least 8 years prior to postmortem and improves the clinical characterisation of cognitive decline. Acta Neuropathol. 2020;140(3):267-278. doi:10.1007/s00401-020-02195-x
  7. Brickman AM, Manly JJ, Honig LS, et al. Plasma p-tau181, p-tau217, and other blood-based Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers in a multi-ethnic, community study. Alzheimers Dement. 2021;17(8):1353-1364. doi:10.1002/alz.12301 
  8. Weber DM, Taylor SW, Lagier RJ, et al. Clinical utility of plasma Aβ42/40 ratio by LC-MS/MS in Alzheimer’s disease assessment. Front Neurol. 2024;15:1364658. doi:10.3389/fneur.2024.1364658

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