Quest Diagnostics launches AD-Detect blood test for Alzheimer’s confirmation

Quest Diagnostics (DGX) launched a new laboratory blood test designed to help physicians confirm amyloid brain pathology due to Alzheimer’s disease, or AD, in patients with mild cognitive impairment – MCI – or dementia. The laboratory-developed test, named AD-Detect Abeta 42/40 and p-tau217 Evaluation, produces results that are then used to produce the AD-Detect Likelihood Score, a composite interpretation created through a proprietary algorithm. While amyloid PET imaging and cerebral spinal fluid testing are established methods for aiding the diagnosis of AD, they are significantly more expensive, invasive and specialist-dependent than blood-based tests. With the exception of New York, physicians in the United States may now order the test.