Summary: Apollo Health’s BrainScan test detects early signs of Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases through a non-invasive blood test, offering highly accurate, personalized risk assessments years before symptoms appear.

Takeaways:

  1. Apollo Health’s BrainScan test analyzes three biomarkers—p-Tau 217, NfL, and GFAP—to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative conditions, offering a non-invasive alternative to spinal taps and PET scans.
  2. The p-Tau 217 component of BrainScan is 95% accurate in detecting Alzheimer’s-related amyloid pathology, even in pre-symptomatic individuals, making it a groundbreaking tool for early diagnosis.
  3. BrainScan provides a detailed report with personalized health coaching, ensuring that customers receive guidance on the next steps if results show elevated dementia risk

BrainScan, a new blood test offered by Apollo Health in collaboration with its partner Neurocode, can reveal the earliest stages of dementia years before symptoms even arise, according to the companies.

The test analyzes three biomarkers to assess the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, and it is sensitive enough to replace invasive and expensive spinal taps or PET brain scans, says Apollo Health. The three biomarkers are:

  • p-Tau 217 is a biomarker for Alzheimer-related processes. This p-Tau 217 test is sensitive enough to detect Alzheimer’s pathology when you are pre-symptomatic. Used alone, it is 95% accurate in predicting amyloid pathology.
  • NfL (neurofilament light) is a marker of neuronal damage. It can tell you if there is a problem with your neurons from causes like vascular disease, head trauma, or any neurodegenerative process.
  • GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) is an early biomarker for inflammation and repair in the brain.

Why BrainScan?

Not all p-Tau 217 tests are created equal. Apollo Health’s test is highly sensitive and the first p-Tau 217 test widely available for consumers. Results are confidential. Consumers can choose who to share their results with and do not need to fear any negative consequences.  

BrainScan is also unique because Neurocode, a laboratory specialized in Alzheimer’s disease and brain health testing, has published more external and internal data than any other p-Tau 217 blood test on the market. Neurocode’s p-Tau 217 test approach has proven to be highly sensitive and accurate, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment.

BrainScan customers are also provided with a detailed interpretative report that uncovers their dementia risk. In addition, if their results are out-of-range, customers aren’t on their own when deciding the next best course of action. A nationally certified health coach personally reaches out to review results and offer guidance, the companies say.