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Plasma p‐tau217 predicts PET‐based pathological staging for precision Alzheimer disease assessment
Han‐Kyeol Kim, Jae Hoon Lee, Joong‐Hyun Chun, You Jin Kim, Mina Park, Tim West, Kristopher M. Kirmess, Philip B. Verghese et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2026-02-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Plasma p-tau217-based biomarkers showed excellent detecting performance for early amyloid (Thal I-II; area under the curve values > 0.96) and intermediate tau (Braak III-IV; area under the curve values > 0.92). Probability-based prediction identified therapeutic window thresholds of 1.895-5.077 pg/mL. Notably, integrated A/T composite staging yielded highly consistent thresholds (< 3% variance). Plasma p-tau217-based biomarkers accurately reflect PET-based staging across frameworks. The convergent therapeutic window thresholds demonstrate robust biological transitions, enabling accessible identification of optimal candidates for disease-modifying therapies.
Key findings
- Plasma p-tau217-based biomarkers showed excellent detecting performance for early amyloid (Thal I-II; area under the curve values > 0.96) and intermediate tau (Braak III-IV; area under the curve values > 0.92).
- Probability-based prediction identified therapeutic window thresholds of 1.895-5.077 pg/mL.
- Notably, integrated A/T composite staging yielded highly consistent thresholds (< 3% variance).
- Plasma p-tau217-based biomarkers accurately reflect PET-based staging across frameworks.
- The convergent therapeutic window thresholds demonstrate robust biological transitions, enabling accessible identification of optimal candidates for disease-modifying therapies.
Why it matters
Plasma p-tau217-based markers reflected PET-based amyloid and tau staging with high accuracy and identified threshold ranges. This could help identify candidates for disease-modifying therapies, but the study does not test whether using these thresholds improves treatment results.
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Study details
- Participants237
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” 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 | 2 / 4 | 237 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| 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 18.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 4 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Chul Hyoung Lyoo: h-index 44 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Yonsei University: institution h-index 777 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 5 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41700119) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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
Kim, H., Lee, J. H., Chun, J., Kim, Y. J., Park, M., West, T., et al. (2026). Plasma p‐tau217 predicts PET‐based pathological staging for precision Alzheimer disease assessment. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71199
Vancouver
Kim H, Lee JH, Chun J, Kim YJ, Park M, West T, et al. Plasma p‐tau217 predicts PET‐based pathological staging for precision Alzheimer disease assessment. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2026. doi:10.1002/alz.71199. PMID: 41700119.
BibTeX
@article{kim2026-41700119,
author = {Kim, Han‐Kyeol and Lee, Jae Hoon and Chun, Joong‐Hyun and Kim, You Jin and Park, Mina and West, Tim and Kirmess, Kristopher M. and Verghese, Philip B. and others},
title = {{Plasma p‐tau217 predicts PET‐based pathological staging for precision Alzheimer disease assessment}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1002/alz.71199},
pmid = {41700119},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.71199}
}
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