The FDA-cleared tests aren’t designed for healthy, symptom-free people, but many people want this information anyway. By Alex Janin
For years, doctors relied only on written memory tests, invasive spinal taps and expensive imaging to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. Now, two Food and Drug Administration-cleared blood tests are simplifying the diagnosis.
The tests, from manufacturers Fujirebio Diagnostics and Roche Holding, were cleared last year and look for different versions of tau, a protein that forms into tangles in the brain and can lead to memory loss. Fujirebio’s test also measures a protein called beta-amyloid, which can form sticky plaques that are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and the target of recently approved drugs for the condition.
