Alzheimer’s disease could be detected using a finger prick blood test

A new method will allow testing for Alzheimer’s disease using a simple finger prick blood test.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden are developing biomarkers that will make testing for Alzheimer’s disease more accessible around the world. The first results showed high efficiency – first in cerebrospinal fluid, then in venous blood, and now in blood taken from the superficial vessels of the finger.

The new test involves collecting a couple of drops of blood from a fingertip onto a special card that immediately separates the blood cells from the plasma. After about 15 minutes, after the card has dried, it is sent to the laboratory by mail, where the analysis is carried out using modern highly sensitive methods.

The current study involved 203 people who had finger prick capillary blood samples collected at one of five European clinics. The simple test kit was then sent to the Department of Neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg, where key biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, including pTau217, were analyzed.

The results showed that the finger-prick test performed almost as well as venous samples, but unlike traditional blood tests, this new test did not require transport on dry ice. “This could significantly increase the availability of testing for Alzheimer’s disease in countries and regions that lack the infrastructure required for highly sensitive tests,” says Hanna Huber, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg.