A single blood-based test that measures several tau biomarkers enabled biological staging of Alzheimer’s disease. This approach not only indicated how advanced the disease was but also helped to predict its progression. This blood-based test could be highly valuable for patient management and for identifying individuals who are most likely to benefit from targeted therapies.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Pontecorvo, M. J. et al. Association of donanemab treatment with exploratory plasma biomarkers in early symptomatic Alzheimer disease: a secondary analysis of the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ randomized clinical trial. JAMA Neurol. 79, 1250–1259 (2022). This paper reports results from the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ clinical trial, in which participant selection was based on intermediate tau PET burden.
Montoliu-Gaya, L. et al. Mass spectrometric simultaneous quantification of tau species in plasma shows differential associations with amyloid and tau pathologies. Nat. Aging 3, 661–669 (2023). This article describes the UGOT plasma tau immunoprecipitation–mass spectrometry (IP–MS) method, and demonstrates that distinct tau phosphorylation sites in blood show differential associations with amyloid and tau PET imaging.
Montoliu-Gaya, L. et al. Optimal blood tau species for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology: an immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry and autopsy study. Acta Neuropathol. 147, 5 (2023). This paper validates the UGOT plasma tau IP–MS method in a neuropathologically confirmed AD cohort, and supports the idea that different tau variants emerge in blood at distinct stages of disease.
Salvadó, G. et al. Disease staging of Alzheimer’s disease using a CSF-based biomarker model. Nat. Aging 4, 694–708 (2024). This paper describes the development of a staging model for AD using multiple cerebrospinal fluid tau biomarkers, which provided the basis to test whether plasma tau biomarkers could also be used for disease staging.
Jack, C. R. Jr. et al. Revised criteria for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s disease. Nat. Med. 30, 2121–2124 (2024). This document presents updated criteria for the diagnosis and staging of AD by building on the 2018 research framework and integrating recent biomarker advances.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Montoliu-Gaya, L. et al. Plasma tau biomarkers for biological staging of Alzheimer’s disease. Nat. Aging https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00951-w (2025).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
A single blood test could reveal the biological stage of Alzheimer’s disease. Nat Aging (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-01008-8
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-01008-8
