The Expanding Role of Blood-Based Biomarkers in Alzheimer Disease

As blood-based biomarkers continue to reshape the landscape of Alzheimer disease (AD) diagnosis and research, advances in highly sensitive detection technologies are enabling researchers to investigate a broader range of disease-related pathologies. Among these emerging markers is extracellular mid-region tau (eMTBR-tau), a fragment of tau associated with the seeding and formation of neurofibrillary tangles that may provide complementary information to established biomarkers such as phosphorylated tau.

At the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in London, NeurologyLive® spoke with Stephen Williams, PhD, chief scientific officer at Alamar Biosciences, about the company’s approach to biomarker development and the evolving role of blood-based testing in neurologic disease. The conversation touched on the development of eMTBR-tau testing, the potential of multiplex approaches to characterize multiple disease pathologies, and the challenges of translating increasingly complex biomarker data into clinically useful tools…

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.

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.