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Plasma eMTBR-tau243 and %p-tau217 for Biological Staging of Alzheimer Disease
Salvadó G, Horie K, Barthélemy NR, Schindler SE, Janelidze S, Orduña Dolado A, Bali D, Perrin RJ, Morris JC, Benzinger TLS, Gordon BA, Stomrud E, et al.. JAMA Neurology, 2026-07-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Results The BioFINDER-2 main cohort included 872 participants, with an additional 156 participants in the Knight ADRC cohort for independent validation. A plasma-based model with %p-tau217 and eMTBR-tau243 was derived, which demonstrated high concordance with established PET-based stages (C index, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.90-0.92) and was associated with clinical stage within the AD continuum (C index, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.82-0.86).
Key findings
- Results The BioFINDER-2 main cohort included 872 participants, with an additional 156 participants in the Knight ADRC cohort for independent validation.
- A plasma-based model with %p-tau217 and eMTBR-tau243 was derived, which demonstrated high concordance with established PET-based stages (C index, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.90-0.92) and was associated with clinical stage within the AD continuum (C index, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.82-0.86).
Why it matters
A blood-based model using two tau measures matched established PET-based stages of Alzheimer's disease. This is a diagnostic and staging tool, not a treatment, cure or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Blood tests & biomarkers →
Study details
- Study designcohort
- Participants1,028
- Effect sizeC index 0.91 vs PET-based staging in both cohorts; AUC 0.96 vs autopsy ADNC
- Evidence strengthHigh
Limitations
The plasma model is an approximation of PET-based staging rather than a substitute; too few individuals had both CSF and plasma MTBR-tau243 for direct comparison; the plasma analogue of p-tau205 has not performed comparably to CSF; and eMTBR-tau243 measurement relies on immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry with relatively large plasma volumes, limiting immediate scalability.
How this study scored 68/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on free to read, so that was left out: it earned 67 of the 98 points we could judge it on, which is 68 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (JAMA Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | JAMA Neurology: journal h-index 235 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 5 / 5 | 2026 — within 1 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,028 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 4 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.0 citations a year over 2 year(s) since 2026 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 19.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 4 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Oskar Hansson: h-index 148 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Washington University in St. Louis: institution h-index 1,962 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 11 institution(s) in 4 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 42189519) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 67 / 98 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 67 of the 98 points we could judge it on is 68 out of 100. |
| Total | 68 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.1405
- PubMed: 42189519
- Original source →
- Free full text: PubMed Central →
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Salvadó, G., Horie, K., Barthélemy, N. R., Schindler, S. E., Janelidze, S., Orduña Dolado, A., et al. (2026). Plasma eMTBR-tau243 and %p-tau217 for Biological Staging of Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.1405
Vancouver
Salvadó G, Horie K, Barthélemy NR, Schindler SE, Janelidze S, Orduña Dolado A, et al. Plasma eMTBR-tau243 and %p-tau217 for Biological Staging of Alzheimer Disease. JAMA Neurology. 2026. doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.1405. PMID: 42189519.
BibTeX
@article{salvado2026-42189519,
author = {Salvadó, G. and Horie, K. and Barthélemy, N. R. and Schindler, S. E. and Janelidze, S. and Orduña Dolado, A. and Bali, D. and Perrin, R. J. and Morris, J. C. and Benzinger, T. L. S. and Gordon, B. A. and Stomrud, E. and others},
title = {{Plasma eMTBR-tau243 and \%p-tau217 for Biological Staging of Alzheimer Disease}},
journal = {JAMA Neurology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.1405},
pmid = {42189519},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.1405}
}
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