Alamar Biosciences has launched what it describes as the first commercial blood-based immunoassay for eMTBR-Tau, an emerging biomarker associated with tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease.

The assay is available as part of the company’s NULISAseq Neuro 220 panel and as a standalone assay through its Technology Access Program.

Unlike existing blood biomarkers that primarily reflect amyloid pathology, eMTBR-Tau is designed to measure tau neurofibrillary tangles, one of the defining pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease and a key indicator of disease progression.

Until recently, assessment of tau tangle burden has largely relied on positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, which can be costly and difficult to access. Recent research has suggested that blood-based measurement of eMTBR-Tau could provide a less invasive alternative for evaluating tau pathology in clinical research.

According to Alamar, the assay enables researchers to measure eMTBR-Tau alongside additional neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation biomarkers from a single low-volume blood sample.

The company said the test may support Alzheimer’s disease research through patient stratification, disease staging and monitoring responses to therapies targeting tau pathology.

Yuling Luo, founder, chief executive officer and chair of Alamar Biosciences, said: “We believe the ability to measure tangle-specific tau pathology in combination with other neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation biomarkers from blood… will open new possibilities in clinical research and clinical trials for disease staging, patient stratification, therapy response monitoring and, ultimately, for precision medicine.”

The assay will be presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2026, where researchers are expected to share data on its analytical performance, correlation with tau PET imaging and ability to distinguish between stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Blood-based biomarkers are becoming increasingly important in Alzheimer’s research as investigators seek more accessible methods to identify disease pathology, enrol appropriate patients into clinical trials and evaluate treatment response.