A Two-Biomarker Signal for Alzheimer’s Disease

Dual plasma biomarkers may improve identification of established Alzheimer’s disease and signal faster decline

By
Henry Thomas
March 30, 2026
3 min

Conexiant

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of combining plasma biomarkers eMTBR-tau243 and p-tau217 in identifying established Alzheimer’s disease and predicting cognitive decline.

Approach:

Key Findings:

The combination of eMTBR-tau243 with p-tau217 improved identification of established Alzheimer’s disease with 81% accuracy.
The two-biomarker approach showed an 84% positive predictive value for established disease.
eMTBR-tau243 demonstrated 87% accuracy in identifying patients with high tau pathology among those positive for p-tau217.
Higher levels of eMTBR-tau243 were associated with greater tau accumulation and faster cognitive decline.

Interpretation:

The findings support a two-step testing strategy to differentiate between asymptomatic amyloid pathology and clinically significant Alzheimer’s disease, enhancing diagnostic precision.

Limitations:

The study population was primarily from secondary memory clinics in Sweden, limiting generalizability.
Further validation in broader clinical settings is needed.

Conclusion:

Combining biomarkers linked to different stages of Alzheimer’s pathology may improve diagnostic accuracy and patient stratification for clinical and research purposes.