New finger-prick blood test can detect Alzheimer's at an early stage

A new blood test requiring only a finger prick shows promising results for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new large-scale European study, Euronews reports. In the future, the method could allow for home sampling and mailing to a laboratory, significantly expanding access to diagnostics for the most common form of dementia.

The study, led by the American healthcare organization Banner Health in partnership with the University of Exeter, was conducted among 337 participants across seven research centers in Denmark, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. It included individuals without cognitive impairment or with mild cognitive difficulties, patients with dementia, as well as adults with Down syndrome, who are at high genetic risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Several drops of blood were taken from the participants’ fingertips and dried on a special card. The results of this method were compared with standard blood tests and cerebrospinal fluid analyses. The data, published in the journal Nature Medicine, show that the primary biomarkers measured via the finger-prick test correlate strongly with the results of conventional diagnostic methods. The new test identified disease-related changes with an accuracy of 86%.

Researchers focused on three key blood biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s: p-tau217, a primary diagnostic marker of the disease; GFAP, an indicator of brain inflammation; and NfL, which reflects nerve cell damage.

“This breakthrough could fundamentally change the way we conduct Alzheimer’s research by proving that the same biomarkers used by physicians for diagnosis can be measured through a simple finger prick, including in samples collected at home or in remote communities,” stated Dr. Nicholas Ashton, Senior Director of the Banner Health Biomarker Program and lead author of the study.

He emphasized that although the clinical application of the test is still years away, the method opens opportunities for research that was previously practically impossible—including reaching more diverse and underrepresented population groups and conducting large-scale screening studies.

According to the European Brain Council, approximately 7 million people in Europe are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, and the number of those affected is expected to double by 2030.

Currently, the most commonly used diagnostic methods include brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analyses, which are invasive, expensive, and primarily available in specialized centers.

“We are moving toward a future where anyone, anywhere, can contribute to the advancement of our understanding of brain diseases. This is not just a technological advancement—it is a paradigm shift in the way neuroscience research is conducted,” commented Prof. Anne Corbett, a dementia expert at the University of Exeter and co-author of the study.