Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: a multicenter-based cross-sectional and longitudinal study in China

Feng Gao; Linbin Dai; Qiong Wang; Chang Liu; Kexue Deng; Zhaozhao Cheng; Xinyi Lv; Yan Wu; Ziyi Zhang; Qingqing Tao; Jing Yuan; Shiping Li; Yue Wang; Ya Su; Xin Cheng; Jun Ni; Zhiying Wu; Shuting Zhang; Jiong Shi; Yong Shen; China Aging and Neurodegenerative Initiative (CANDI) Consortium

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2023.07.009

Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease: a multicenter-based cross-sectional and longitudinal study in China

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2023 Aug 30;68(16):1800-1808. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.07.009. Epub 2023 Jul 10.

Authors

Feng Gao^#¹, Linbin Dai^#¹, Qiong Wang², Chang Liu³, Kexue Deng³, Zhaozhao Cheng², Xinyi Lv², Yan Wu², Ziyi Zhang⁴, Qingqing Tao⁵, Jing Yuan⁶, Shiping Li⁷, Yue Wang⁷, Ya Su⁸, Xin Cheng⁹, Jun Ni¹⁰, Zhiying Wu¹¹, Shuting Zhang¹², Jiong Shi¹³, Yong Shen¹⁴; China Aging and Neurodegenerative Initiative (CANDI) Consortium

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China; Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
² Department of Neurology, Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
³ Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China.
⁴ Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China.
⁵ Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
⁶ Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100006, China.
⁷ Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China.
⁸ Department of Neurology, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
⁹ Department of Neurology, National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China. Electronic address: chengxin@fudan.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100006, China. Electronic address: pumchnijun@163.com.
¹¹ Department of Neurology and Research Center of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: zhiyingwu@zju.edu.cn.
¹² Department of Neurology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China. Electronic address: shutingzhang@scu.edu.cn.
¹³ Department of Neurology, Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China. Electronic address: jshi2022@ustc.edu.cn.
¹⁴ Department of Neurology, Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China; Neurodegenerative Disorder Research Center, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Biomedical Aging Research, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, China. Electronic address: yongshen@ustc.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 37500404
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.07.009

Abstract

Discrepancies in diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) may arise from racial disparities, risk factors, or lifestyle differences. Moreover, there has been a lack of systematic and multicenter studies to evaluate baselines of the AD biomarkers in Chinese populations. Thus, there is an urgent need for research to investigate the effectiveness of blood biomarkers for AD, specifically in the Chinese Han population, using a multicenter approach. In the present multicenter-based cross-sectional and longitudinal study, we evaluated 817 blood samples from 6 different clinical centers. We measured plasma amyloid beta (Aβ)-40, Aβ42, phosphorylated tau 181 (pTau), total tau (tTau), serum neurofilament light (NFL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Additionally, ¹⁸F-florbetapir positron electron tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were also performed. A combination of the APOE genotype with plasma pTau and serum GFAP demonstrated exceptional performance in distinguishing Aβ status. Furthermore, baseline GFAP levels exhibited a strong association with cognitive decline over time and brain atrophy, with higher GFAP levels predicting a faster rate of neurodegeneration. In summary, these results validate the practicality of blood biomarkers in the Chinese Han population, encompassing various regions within China. Additionally, they emphasize the potential of pTau and GFAP as non-invasive methods for detecting and screening AD at an early stage.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Blood biomarker; Dementia; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Phosphorylated-tau 181.

Publication types

Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

Alzheimer Disease* / diagnosis
Amyloid beta-Peptides
Biomarkers
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Longitudinal Studies

Substances

Amyloid beta-Peptides
Biomarkers