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Promising clinical tools for specific Alzheimer disease diagnosis from plasma pTau217 and ApoE genotype in a cognitive disorder unit
Lourdes Álvarez‐Sánchez, Carmen Peña‐Bautista, Laura Ferré‐González, Ángel Balaguer, Julián Luis Amengual, Miguel Baquero, Consuelo Cháfer‐Pericás. Scientific Reports, 2025-05-10
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis relies on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers or amyloid PET. Alternatives for AD diagnosis from blood samples are needed to develop a fully-automated early-diagnosis approach, potentially implemented in a cognitive disorder unit. Plasma p-Tau217 was determined in patients diagnosed with AD (n = 134) or non-AD (n = 132), from CSF biomarkers (Aβ42/Aβ40). A logistic regression model was developed. The predictive performance was assessed using a training set (70% of data) and internally validated with a test set (30% of data) and 1000 iterations. A nomogram and a double cut-off strategy were proposed to visualize the model results, and stratify patients (AD, non-AD, uncertain), respectively. The model (plasma p-Tau217, ApoE, age) showed satisfactory performance (AUC 0.94, sensitivity 0.85, specificity 0.89); so, together with the corresponding nomogram, it could be applied in specialized clinical contexts. The model including only plasma p-Tau217 (AUC 0.93, sensitivity 0.72, specificity 0.96) would be a useful approach in less specialized clinics. The corresponding two-cut-off strategy for the first model were as AD probability ( 0.57 AD). This study provided clinical tools (nomogram, double cut-off) for identifying Aβ positivity at a cognitive disorder unit, which would lead to reduce the CSF analysis.
Key findings
- A nomogram and a double cut-off strategy were proposed to visualize the model results, and stratify patients (AD, non-AD, uncertain), respectively.
Why it matters
A model using plasma p-Tau217, ApoE and age identified amyloid positivity with good performance, and a two-cut-off strategy classified patients as Alzheimer, non-Alzheimer or uncertain. This is a diagnostic tool and does not show any effect on treating or preventing the disease.
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Study details
- Participants134
- Effect sizeAUC 0.94; AUC 0.93
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Scientific Reports) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Scientific Reports: journal h-index 463 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 134 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 | 2 / 7 | Cited 9 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 3.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 5.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 9 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Consuelo Cháfer‐Pericás: h-index 33 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe: institution h-index 177 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40348819) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-01511-3
- PubMed: 40348819
- Original source →
- Free full text: Scientific Reports →
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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Álvarez‐Sánchez, L., Peña‐Bautista, C., Ferré‐González, L., Balaguer, Á., Amengual, J. L., Baquero, M., et al. (2025). Promising clinical tools for specific Alzheimer disease diagnosis from plasma pTau217 and ApoE genotype in a cognitive disorder unit. Scientific Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01511-3
Vancouver
Álvarez‐Sánchez L, Peña‐Bautista C, Ferré‐González L, Balaguer Á, Amengual JL, Baquero M, et al. Promising clinical tools for specific Alzheimer disease diagnosis from plasma pTau217 and ApoE genotype in a cognitive disorder unit. Scientific Reports. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-01511-3. PMID: 40348819.
BibTeX
@article{alvarezsanchez2025-40348819,
author = {Álvarez‐Sánchez, Lourdes and Peña‐Bautista, Carmen and Ferré‐González, Laura and Balaguer, Ángel and Amengual, Julián Luis and Baquero, Miguel and Cháfer‐Pericás, Consuelo},
title = {{Promising clinical tools for specific Alzheimer disease diagnosis from plasma pTau217 and ApoE genotype in a cognitive disorder unit}},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1038/s41598-025-01511-3},
pmid = {40348819},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01511-3}
}
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