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Brain

Which plasma pTau217 assay should I use in clinical practice? Pandora’s box demystified

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  • January 11, 2025
Topic/Product:
Neurology, pTau217

Abstract

Blood-based biomarkers have pushed the boundaries of Alzheimer’s disease diagnostics at a pace so rapid as to be dizzying. In a field of neurology that has often been considered doomed to a lack of therapeutic opportunities due to the absence of viable—and scalable—tools for early diagnosis, these are exciting times. Plasma pTau217 has emerged as a game changer for its ability to accurately mirror amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau deposition in the brain and to predict future cognitive decline, cheaply and non-invasively.1 However, as with every gold rush in history, competition has soon followed, with a flurry of assays trying to position themselves as the leader in the field. In this issue of Brain, Warmenhoven and co-workers2 and Pilotto and co-workers3 explore these new opportunities and help demystify this Pandora’s box.

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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.