Update on biomarkers for amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

At the center of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis is the aberrant aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) into oligomers, fibrils and plaques. Effective monitoring of Aβ deposition directly in patients is essential to assist anti-Aβ therapeutics in target engagement and participant selection. In the advent of approved anti-Aβ therapeutics, biomarkers will become of fundamental importance in initiating treatments having disease modifying effects at the earliest stage. Two well-established Aβ biomarkers are widely utilized: Aβ-binding ligands for positron emission tomography and immunoassays to measure Aβ42 in cerebrospinal fluid. In this review, we will discuss the current clinical, diagnostic and research state of biomarkers for Aβ pathology. Furthermore, we will explore the current application of blood-based markers to assess Aβ pathology.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Aβ; amyloid-β; biomarkers; blood-based biomarkers; cerebrospinal fluid; dementia; positron emission tomography.