How can Alzheimer's disease blood-based biomarkers reach clinical practice?

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis has been based largely on clinical symptoms, despite their limited sensitivity and specificity. Biomarker use was proposed to support a more accurate and timely diagnosis. However, neuroimaging or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is rarely used in primary care due to their perceived invasiveness, cost, and need for appropriate infrastructure. Blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) could represent an economical, minimally invasive alternative, but barriers exist to a seamless translation to the clinic. METHODS: Ten international experienced AD clinicians and biomarker experts participated in a diagnostic roundtable to discuss the implementation of BBMs for diagnosing early symptomatic AD. RESULTS: The participants proposed an optimal AD diagnostic pathway and highlighted three main gaps to implementing BBMs for early symptomatic AD diagnosis: limited real-world data, resource gaps, and system barriers. DISCUSSION: Although BBMs could streamline the AD diagnostic pathway, further real-world evidence and collaboration among multiple stakeholders are needed. Highlights: Early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis improves treatment strategy and lowers costs. Currently available biomarkers are not widely used across all clinical settings. Blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) could be a cost-effective, minimally invasive alternative. BBMs could accelerate an accurate AD diagnosis. There are barriers to the inclusion of BBMs in clinical practice.