AAIC 2021 | Plasma p-Tau181 and p-Tau231 offer complementary information in Alzheimer’s

Pamela Ferreira, PhD, University of Pittsburgh, discusses the use of plasma p-tau181 and p-tau231, two biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology. She explains the work of her team from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil in investigating whether both biomarkers together would complement each other to give more information required for clinical diagnosis of AD, or whether one of the two individually would be sufficient. The results suggest that using both biomarkers together may be beneficial, helping to eliminate some of the false positives obtained when either one is used individually. Whilst the use of p-tau231 is currently still experimental, Dr Ferreira explains that it is important to find out whether it is better used alone or in conjunction with p-tau181 as a biomarker in a future clinical setting. This interview took place during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC), 2021.