Siemens Healthineers today announced that its brain health research offerings are expanding, with the brain-derived, fully automated Atellica IM Phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217) and Atellica IM Brain Derived Tau (BDTau) assays now available for 1. Each year, there are nearly 10 million new cases of dementia diagnosed worldwide2. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common, contributing to 60-70% of cases, although it affects many more people over time as these people become negatively affected and become increasingly dependent on others for their care2.
Blood tests from Siemens Healthineers offer researchers chemiluminescence immunoassays to provide a quantitative measurement of brain-derived phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) and brain-derived tau (BD tau) and are performed on the widely installed Atellica Solution IM and Atellica Analy CI. Blood-based biomarker testing offers a less invasive method compared to cerebrospinal fluid that requires a lumbar puncture.
Siemens Healthineers is laser-focused on expanding researchers’ access to blood tests that can reduce the burden of invasive testing to better understand these diseases and help address the growing societal impact of neurodegenerative conditions. Our Atellica IM instrument enables the high sensitivity required to detect neurological biomarkers in blood.”
Jim Freeman, Head of Core Laboratory Solutions R&D for Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers
“Analyzer engineering is very important for the signal amplification we need to achieve reliable results using blood tests.” said Henrik Zetterberg, MD, PhD, an internationally renowned neuroscientist known for his pioneering research into biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. “Blood tests are much easier for both patients and doctors—you can scale tests, monitor patients, or perhaps prepare a portfolio of biomarkers.”
Contribution to scientific innovation
Siemens Healthineers participates in several research collaborations to advance the early detection and characterization of neurological diseases with p-tau217 and BD tau biomarkers3-5. Specifically, multi-cohort research studies are underway with PREDICTOM, ACCESS-AD, and Banner Sun Health Research Institute.
“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with leading diagnostic companies to advance the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, and this is a great example.” said Nicholas Ashton, PhD, senior director of the Fluid Biomarker Program at Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona. “We are working to validate the clinical utility of the plasma p-tau217 biomarker in different patient populations to promote early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Our findings appear to support the promise of this Alzheimer’s blood biomarker in the clinical setting. We look forward to advancing this research further.”
Other biomarkers of brain health
In addition to the Atellica IM pTau217 and Atellica IM BDTau RUO assays, Siemens Healthineers offers an assay (CE marked)6 to help predict the risk of future MS disease activity. Development efforts are underway to offer additional biomarkers, including Apolipoprotein E-ε4 (ApoE-ε4), a protein involved in fat metabolism and a subtype implicated in Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. Researchers can be notified of these offers
