New data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2025 (AAIC) demonstrate that Neurogen Biomarking’s integrated virtual care ecosystem significantly accelerates early detection and intervention for Alzheimer’s disease.

The system combines in-home blood biomarker testing, using the non-invasive TASSO blood collection device, with advanced digital cognitive assessment and follow-up virtual care from board-certified neurologists. Results from three community pilot initiatives in Illinois and Michigan indicate the ecosystem can reduce the time from symptom onset to intervention by an average of 4.5 years.

The study, entitled “Remote Collection of Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders,” involved free screening events at local hospitals in Chicago, Flint, and Coldwater. A total of 455 participants aged 50 and older completed biomarker and cognitive testing. The group was 66 percent women, with an average age of 67. Forty-five percent were White/Caucasian, 39 percent Black/African American, and 16 percent did not report ethnicity.

Participants underwent a traditional intravenous venous blood draw alongside the TASSO device, which collects blood without a needle and preserves samples for ambient shipment. Testing employed the ultrasensitive ALZpath P-tau217 assay, validated as a biomarker closely linked to Alzheimer’s pathology. All analyses took place in CLIA- and CAP-certified laboratories.

The findings showed that 26 percent of participants had elevated P-tau217 concentrations, and 80 percent exhibited some level of cognitive impairment, consistent with expectations for this population. The TASSO device identified elevated P-tau217 with 88 percent accuracy, supporting its potential use as a triage tool in broader populations.

Those with elevated biomarkers received timely telehealth consultations and personalised brain health action plans. This approach shortened the typical interval from cognitive concerns to specialist intervention from several years to between four months and 18 months.

“We have created a new model to reach those with Mild Cognitive Impairment,” said Elisabeth Thijssen, chief scientific officer at Neurogen Biomarking and presenter of the study. “Neurogen’s ecosystem is built to meet the urgent global demand for faster adoption of breakthrough testing technologies for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Our mission is to give everyone equal access to cutting-edge technology to detect Alzheimer’s early—when treatment can make the greatest impact on the course of people’s lives.”

Dr Thijssen added: “In one-day events held in three different U.S. communities reaching people with no prior dementia diagnosis, we found 18 percent tested positive for P-tau217 and an additional eight percent were intermediate. Bringing these people immediately into virtual care with a neurologist who shared the test results and provided a personalized brain health action care plan was heartening given the long wait time to see a specialist once a patient expresses memory concerns to their primary care physicians that is now typical in the US.”

Neurogen’s virtual ecosystem is currently in beta testing ahead of a planned national launch, offering a pathway to overcome barriers in early Alzheimer’s diagnosis and care.

The unmet need

An estimated 40 percent of Americans aged 65 and older experience some form of memory impairment, yet fewer than 8 percent with mild cognitive impairment receive a formal diagnosis. Delays from symptom onset to diagnosis average 6 to 8 years, despite treatments being most effective in early stages. Biomarker testing is included in fewer than 20 percent of Alzheimer’s diagnoses in the US due to limited access and clinical expertise.