At-home blood test may help spot Alzheimer's, researchers say

Researchers reported that dried finger‑prick blood samples mailed without refrigeration revealed proteins linked to Alzheimer’s in 337 people and correlated with traditional tests, and they said the method could broaden research access though clinical use is still years away.

A team of researchers tested a new self-sampling method that uses a few drops of blood from a fingertip, dried on a card at home and sent by post without refrigeration, to look for proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The technique was evaluated because standard tests for Alzheimer’s—such as brain scans or spinal fluid tests—are often invasive, costly or require specialist facilities. The study involved 337 people and was led by Nicholas Ashton, with contributions from researchers at the University of Exeter. Authors say the approach could make research more accessible, but they also note clinical use is not imminent. Key findings: - The study used dried finger‑prick blood samples collected at home by participants and sent by post without refrigeration. - Proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other brain changes were measurable from those samples. - Results from the dried‑blood tests showed a strong correlation with more traditional diagnostic tests. - Researchers said the method could enable larger and more diverse research studies, while clinical deployment remains years away. Summary: The reported method could broaden researchers’ ability to include people in remote or underrepresented communities and to run larger screening studies. Ongoing work will assess whether the technique can identify people in the community who would benefit from more detailed diagnostic testing, and authors state that clinical use is still years away.