Opinion|Videos|September 28, 2026
Blood-Based Biomarkers: Reshaping the Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Toolkit
Led by the moderator, the panelists discussed how they sequence plasma p-tau217 and beta-amyloid 42/40 testing alongside cognitive screening as a first-line workup, reserving confirmatory amyloid PET or CSF testing for inconclusive cases, and noted that payer coverage for these biomarker tests has so far been largely free of denials.
Episodes in this series
In 'Blood-Based Biomarkers: Reshaping the Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostic Toolkit,' the expert neurology and primary care panelists examined the following critical questions:
Blood-based biomarkers are reshaping how quickly and broadly Alzheimer's disease can be diagnosed. Walk us through the current diagnostic toolkit, from cognitive screening and plasma biomarkers through cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET), and how are you sequencing these tools in practice today?
Where does plasma p-tau217 fit as a first-line screen, and what role does confirmatory PET or CSF play?
What additional diagnostic tools on the near-term horizon could further streamline the pathway?
Led by the moderator, the panelists discussed how they sequence plasma p-tau217 and beta-amyloid 42/40 testing alongside cognitive screening as a first-line workup, reserving confirmatory amyloid PET or CSF testing for inconclusive cases, and noted that payer coverage for these biomarker tests has so far been largely free of denials.
Throughout the conversation, the experts provided a comprehensive reflection on the field and the factors that may shape how clinicians approach care moving forward.
Our next episode, 'Designing a Better Managed Care Benefit for Alzheimer's Disease,' further explores Alzheimer's disease, highlighting the gap between expanded Medicare coverage and real-world access, including the barriers facing younger and commercially insured patients.
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