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Alzheimer’s & Dementia

Identifying populations with faster cognitive decline using blood-based biomarkers

  • July 8, 2026
  • James Russell Pike, et al., NYU Grossman School of Health
Product:
CNS Disease Panel 120
Topic:
CNS
Disease Area:
Alzheimer's Disease, Cognitive Decline
Sample Type:
Plasma
Back to Publications​
  • July 8, 2026
Product:
CNS Disease Panel 120
Topic:
CNS
Disease Area:
Alzheimer's Disease, Cognitive Decline
Sample Type:
Plasma

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Identifying individuals who undergo cognitive decline is vital to the success of prevention trials that aim to slow cognitive decline. Yet, the benefits of using blood-based biomarkers of neurodegeneration, as well as amyloid and tau, to enrich population-based prevention trials have not been quantified.

METHODS

The association of thresholds of Quanterix single molecule array (SiMoA) assays with subsequent change in cognition was estimated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort (N = 1826) using linear mixed effects models, validated in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis cohort (N = 383), and extended to Alamar Nucleic acid Linked Immuno-Sandwich Assay (NULISA) assays in the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders cohort (N = 552).

RESULTS

Elevated plasma biomarker levels identified dementia-free older adults with faster cognitive decline. By selecting participants with Quanterix SiMoA measurements of neurofilament light > 30.65 pg/mL, the sample size needed to detect a 33% reduction in cognitive decline in a clinical trial decreased by 57%.

DISCUSSION

Clinical trials can use plasma biomarkers as a screening tool to increase statistical power.

Highlights

  • Dementia prevention trials comprised of healthy volunteers with minimal cognitive decline are often underpowered.
  • Randomized controlled trials can be enriched using plasma biomarkers.
  • The effect of using plasma biomarkers to enrich trials was estimated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities, Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders cohorts.
  • Plasma biomarkers identified dementia-free older adults with faster cognitive decline.
  • Plasma biomarker enrichment decreased the sample needed to detect an intervention effect by 57%.
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Authors and Affiliations

James Russell Pike¹, Yongmei Liu², Theresa Chisolm³, Jennifer Deal⁴˒⁵˒⁶, Jingzhong Ding⁷, Rebecca F. Gottesman⁸, Alison Huang¹, Timothy M. Hughes⁷, Kurt Lohman², Mason McCray², Thomas H. Mosley⁹, Anh Tram Nguyen², Priya Palta¹⁰, Nicholas Reed¹, Kevin J. Sullivan⁹, Bharat Thyagarajan¹¹, Keenan A. Walker¹², and Josef Coresh¹

¹ Optimal Aging Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
² Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
³ Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
⁴ Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
⁵ Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
⁶ Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
⁸ National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
⁹ The MIND Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
¹⁰ Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
¹¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
¹² Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroscience, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

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Steve Williams, MD, PhD

CSO

Dr. Willams serves as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer. He was previously Chief Medical Officer at Standard Biotools and at SomaLogic where he pioneered the discipline for discovery and validation of predictive, diagnostic and prognostic models using machine-learning applied to large-plex proteomics. 20 such tests were used for drug characterization, safety and efficacy when incorporated in clinical drug trials at Pharma/Biotech and 17 different multivariate tests were validated and translated into regulated healthcare uses. Prior to SomaLogic, Dr. Williams was at Pfizer in the UK and the USA as a clinical triallist in Translational Medicine, and subsequently as VP, Global Clinical Technology. He sat on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the Executive Committee for the FNIH Biomarkers Consortium, and worked with FDA and PhRMA on developing evidentiary standards for biomarker qualification. Dr. William’s medical training was in London, at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, followed by a PhD in medicine/physiology at the same institution and training in Radiology at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. Steve is co-inventor on 26 proteomics patents and author/coauthor on multiple foundational proteomics manuscripts.

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Justin McAnear

CFO

Mr. McAnear serves as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. He brings over 25 years of operational and financial leadership experience across various sectors and was instrumental in taking 10x Genomics public in 2019, serving as its CFO for over five years. Mr. McAnear served for over 3 years as Tesla’s VP of Worldwide Finance and Operations, supporting landmark initiatives such as the Model X and Model 3 launches and Solar City acquisition.  He also held various roles at Apple and J&J earlier in his career and served as a naval officer and aviator for over 9 years.