A simple blood test can now reveal the brain changes of Alzheimer's — no scan required

Reporting by NPR describes a quiet shift in how Alzheimer's disease can be detected: blood tests measuring a protein called p-tau217 can indicate amyloid plaques in the brain — a hallmark of Alzheimer's — with accuracy comparable to a brain scan, according to Washington University neurologist Dr David Holtzman. In September, the US Food and Drug Administration approved two such blood tests for people who already have symptoms. Susan Dancer, 60, of Bay City, Texas, whose mother and grandmother died with Alzheimer's symptoms, took a test through a clinical trial: her result, 0.10 against a hoped-for threshold below 0.18, was reassuring. Researchers are now studying whether finding the biology early, before symptoms, could one day allow treatment that delays the disease — the honest limit of the science today, and the reason the work matters.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation