Some of you may have heard Paul Aisen, MD, speak about preventing Alzheimer's. Many of you have asked about blood tests.
As the founding director of the Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI) and a leading figure in Alzheimer’s research, Dr. Aisen has dedicated his work to advancing early detection methods and innovative approaches aimed at slowing disease progression.
In answer to the question, "Is there a blood test available to the public at ATRI?" Aisen writes: “We do not offer blood tests to the public. We conduct research." He adds, "There are readily available, accurate blood tests that can be ordered by clinicians. The two best tests are PrecivityAD2, and Lumipulse pTau217 (a version of this test was just approved by the FDA).”
Michael Rafii, MD, PhD, ATRI's Medical Director, adds;
“If someone is interested in having a blood test, their doctor can order either the Lumipulse test or the PrecivityAD2 test. These tests are not currently covered by insurance and typically cost between $500 and $1,200. Importantly, a doctor can also help interpret the results and discuss next steps.”
Our founding Director of the Neuroscience Translational Research Division, Robert Rissman, PhD, who also serves as Director of the ATRI Biomarker Laboratory and Biorepository, shares that we only generate research results, not clinical results." What is the difference? "So, while we have this test at ATRI, the testing is done for our research projects, not for public clinical purposes."
Some of you might remember the blood testing ATRI did as part of our 2024 Community Day of SCervice. That was a special project within the APT Webstudy, called AlzMatch. Through our Sharp clinical site here in San Diego, that project helped quickly finish enrollment for the AHEAD study.
This answer was provided May 17, 2025
