Bengaluru: ALZpath said on Wednesday it had signed a global licensing agreement with Abbott Laboratories to help advance blood-based testing for Alzheimer’s disease, as companies race to offer easier-to-use diagnostic options for the brain-wasting disease.
Abbott will incorporate ALZpath’s antibody into a test designed to run on its Alinity laboratory systems.
Blood tests offer an alternative to diagnosing Alzheimer’s, which has been traditionally diagnosed through expensive and invasive PET imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
The California-based company has previously partnered with Roche, Beckman Coulter and Siemens Healthineers.
ALZpath CEO Mike Banville told Reuters exclusively that the company has opted to partner with firms through licensing agreements, as this approach enables it to reach patients more quickly with its blood-based test.
“With Abbott on board… we will now have 80% of the in-vitro diagnostic market, roughly, using the ALZpath antibody,” Banville added.
The test targets pTau217, a blood marker linked to changes seen in Alzheimer’s disease.
ALZpath scientific adviser Henrik Zetterberg said that pTau217 is a “bit of a revolution in detecting Alzheimer’s disease early.” The marker can reveal changes years before dementia sets in, and help assess patients with memory symptoms.
Regulatory progress is expected in the coming months, with U.S. approvals for some partners anticipated in the back half of the year, Banville said.
Blood tests, including one developed by Japan-based Fujirebio, have already received U.S. regulatory clearance for Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
ALZpath did not disclose the financial terms of the deal with Abbott, but Banville said the partnership follows a royalty-based licensing model.
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
