Home blood tests open new opportunities for Alzheimer’s research

The study was led by Nicholas Ashton, researcher in neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg and Senior Director at Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Arizona, together with Professors Kaj Blennow and Henrik Zetterberg from the University of Gothenburg.

Working with colleagues across Sweden, the United States and several European countries, including Denmark, Italy and Spain, the researchers carried out the first large-scale validation of an accessible testing method that does not depend on proximity to specialised healthcare infrastructure.

A breakthrough for broader research

Alzheimer’s disease is typically confirmed through brain imaging or analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, procedures that are invasive and costly. In recent years, blood tests that measure disease-related biomarkers, such as p-tau217, have become increasingly accurate and widely available, and some have recently received regulatory approval.

However, blood testing currently used in clinical practice requires trained healthcare professionals, specialised sample handling and temperature-controlled storage. These requirements limit accessibility and large-scale implementation. The new home-testing approach, in which dried blood samples can be posted directly to a laboratory, is therefore being described as a major breakthrough.

“Although clinical use is still years away, this opens the door to research that was previously impossible,” says Nicholas Ashton. “It will allow us to study more diverse populations, conduct large-scale screening studies and include groups that have historically been underrepresented in Alzheimer’s research.”

Strong agreement with established testing methods

The research project involved seven medical centres across Europe and included 337 participants who provided samples using the new method.

Levels of p-tau217 measured in the dried blood samples closely matched those obtained from conventional blood tests. Agreement with cerebrospinal fluid testing reached 86 per cent. Two additional Alzheimer’s biomarkers, GFAP and NfL, also showed strong concordance with established laboratory methods.

The researchers believe the technique could eventually be used to identify people at increased risk of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s disease and refer them for more comprehensive diagnostic testing and assessment.

The approach may also have applications beyond Alzheimer’s disease. According to the researchers, it could potentially be used in research and screening programmes for other neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 

Study

A minimally invasive dried blood spot biomarker test for the detection of 28 Alzheimer’s disease pathology, 
 
Source: University of Gothenburg 

7 januari 2026