Study reveals how a blood biomarker tracks response to lecanemab in early Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by changes involving amyloid-beta and tau proteins in the brain. Lecanemab is an anti-amyloid therapy approved for people with early AD that has been shown to slow disease progression. However, treatment responses can vary among individuals, creating a need for accessible ways to monitor biological changes during…
A recent study conducted by researchers from Korea University College of Medicine has found that plasma phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217), a blood-based biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology, can serve as an early marker of response to lecanemab treatment. The prospective real-world study followed 153 patients receiving lecanemab, measuring plasma p-tau217 at baseline and during treatment to assess cognitive measures such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating–Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB).
The researchers identified two distinct p-tau217 response patterns, with patients exhibiting greater reductions in p-tau217 showing more favorable cognitive trajectories. Notably, baseline hypertension was independently associated with a weaker p-tau217 response. The findings suggest that repeated p-tau217 measurements could provide valuable information about biological treatment response during lecanemab therapy, potentially allowing for less invasive, cost-effective, and accessible monitoring compared to repeated PET imaging.
However, larger, multicenter studies with longer follow-up are required to validate these response patterns and establish clinically meaningful thresholds.
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