Alzheimer's disease remains incurable partly because it is rarely caught before significant brain damage has already occurred. This completed Duke University trial explored whether a blood-based biomarker could reliably distinguish Alzheimer's patients from healthy volunteers. By identifying such a marker, clinicians could potentially detect the disease in its pre-clinical phase — before memory loss and cognitive decline become apparent. The study enrolled 21 participants and ran from early 2018 through mid-2019. If validated, a simple blood test could transform Alzheimer's screening, enabling earlier intervention and supporting the development of disease-modifying therapies that work best when started early. This small pilot study represents an important step in the broader push to bring accessible, scalable biomarker testing into routine clinical care for neurodegenerative disease.
