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Diagnosing
Alzheimer’s Disease
Diagnosis and care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly evolving. Early diagnosis is key to timely intervention and delaying disease progression.
Improving patient outcomes drives our commitment to offer one of the industry’s most comprehensive portfolios of lab tests for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia to help assess potential risk.
LifeLabs® Blood Test Portfolio
LifeLabs® now offers a portfolio of blood-based risk assessment offerings that can help provide a better understanding of a patient’s potential risk for Alzheimer’s disease. As a minimally invasive option, a simple blood test can be the first step to taking action and determining if more comprehensive testing is needed.
Alternatively, write p-tau217, ApoE and/or Beta Amyloid 42 40 Ratio in the “Other Tests” section of the standard Ontario MOH requisition.
p-tau217
Testing for the phosphorylated tau217 (p-tau217) plasma biomarker can help assess whether mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s disease and can predict progression of MCI to Alzheimer’s disease.4-6
Measurement of plasma p-tau, including p-tau217, can identify those patients who may benefit from further diagnostic testing.4-6 It is concordant with more invasive tests of amyloid status, such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) testing or positron emission tomography (PET).4-8
*Please note this test is currently only available in Ontario.
p-tau217 Test Details
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Clinical use
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Assess for Alzheimer’s disease (AD)–associated tau pathology in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia
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Clinical significance
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Phosphorylated tau217(p-tau217), Plasma – Current research indicates that plasma p-tau, including p-tau 217, is concordant with amyloid status defined by either CSF biomarker testing or PET scan analysis, and is able to differentiate between AD and non-AD neurodegenerative diseases and to predict progression to AD. Blood-based biomarkers, such as plasma p-tau, could potentially be used as inclusion criteria or to evaluate target engagement and treatment efficacy, and could further advance the development of disease-modifying treatments in the field of AD and related disorders. This assay is designed specifically for the quantitative measurement of tau phosphorylated at threonine 217 (p-tau 217) in human plasma.
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Methodology
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Immunoassay (IA)
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Reference range(s)
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≤0.15 pg/mL
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How to order
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To order the Phosphorylated tau217(p-tau217), Plasma please download the Alzheimer’s custom requisition or write the name of the test in the ‘Other Tests’ section of the standard Ontario Ministry of Health requisition.
Please note the following:
- This test is only available for patients who are ≥ 18 years of age
- Patients should stop biotin consumption at least 72 hours prior to sample collection
- Please ensure that all relevant information on the requisition is complete
- Patient will be required to provide a blood sample
- Patients can visit any LifeLabs Patient Service Centre in Ontario to have their blood samples collected
- The patient must have a requisition form completed by a physician or health care provider with them at the time of testing
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Receiving results
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Results are provided within 10 business days of sample collection.
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Cost
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The Phosphorylated tau217(p-tau217), Plasma is currently an uninsured test and only available in Ontario. The cost of the test is $325.
Payment can be made by the patient when the blood sample is taken at one of our Patient Service Centres. For convenience, Visa, Mastercard and Debit are accepted.
Patients are encouraged to check with their private healthcare insurer to see if coverage is provided.
