Head‐to‐head comparison of four different plasma p‐tau217 assays to detect brain amyloid pathology and cognitive decline in diverse population‐based cohorts

• DOI: 10.1002/alz.092871
• Publication Date: 2025-01-09T11:48:11Z
• Authors: Rebecca A Deek; Xuemei Zeng; Fernando Gonzalez...; Wasiu Gbolahan Ba...; Pamela C.L. Ferreira; Bruna Bellaver; Yijun Chen; Anuradha Sehrawat; Tara K Lafferty; Guilherme Povala; William E Klunk; M. Ilyas Kamboh; Victor L Villemagne; Tharick A. Pascoal; Mary Ganguli; Henrik Zetterberg; Kaj Blennow; Oscar L. Lopez; Ann D Cohen; Beth E. Snitz; Thomas K Karikari
• Keywords: Cognitive Decline; Amyloid (mycology)

Abstract Background Plasma p‐tau217 is a highly promising biomarker for detecting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. However, it unclear how assays from different sources perform compared to one another. Moreover, studies in diverse cohorts and population‐based settings are limited. We performed direct comparison of four detect brain amyloid‐beta (Aβ) deposition or cognitive decline. Method included n=427 participants three separate southwestern Pennsylvania, USA. Cohort‐1 was the Monongahela‐Youghiogheny Health Aging Team (MYHAT, n=87, median age 83 [IQR: 78‐87.5], 74% female), an ongoing cohort drawn medically economically underserved Rust Belt region. Cohort‐2 MYHAT‐NI sub‐study (n=111, 76 72‐80], 54% which two‐year longitudinal follow‐up neuroimaging assessments Aβ, tau, neurodegeneration by structural MRI. Cohort‐3 Human Connectome Project (HCP, n=229, 62 56‐70], 65% female) targeted 50:50 split self‐identified Black non‐Hispanic White individuals. measured using sources: University Pittsburgh (UPitt), ALZpath, Gothenburg (UGOT), NULISA Alamar Biosciences. Aβ positivity defined as mean SUVR > 1.346. Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Mini Mental State Examination were used assess performance. Result In cohort, assays—UPitt, NULISA—were employed. The demonstrated equivalent AUCs determining positivity, ranging 0.84 0.90. UPitt ALZpath also showed similar HCP cohorts, with values 0.87 0.90, respectively. MYHAT, UGOT separated CDR=0 CDR=0.5 (0.79 vs. 0.81). Significant correlations observed all inter‐assay comparisons, Pearson correlation between 0.40 0.86. Conclusion largely performances plasma predicting amyloid impairment across community‐dwelling older adults.