Alamar Biosciences has launched a commercial blood-based immunoassay for eMTBR-Tau, a biomarker associated with tau tangle pathology in Alzheimer’s disease. The assay is available in the NULISAseq Neuro 220 multiplexed panel and as a single-plex assay through Alamar’s Technology Access Program. Researchers can deploy the panel on the installed base of ARGO HT instruments.
A definitive Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis requires evidence of amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles. The blood biomarker pTau-217 indicates amyloid pathology, but a positive result does not confirm the presence of tau tangles. Researchers have historically measured tau tangle burden through tau positron emission tomography imaging, which carries high costs and operational demands.
Recent studies have shown that a mass spectrometry-based blood assay for eMTBR-tau243 correlates with tau tangle burden. Alamar’s immunoassay targets the MTBR fragment produced through endogenous cleavage at site 256.
The NULISA platform measures eMTBR-Tau at attomolar sensitivity and combines it with other neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation biomarkers from a single low-volume sample.
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“eMTBR-Tau is emerging as one of the most important biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease,” comments Dr. Yuling Luo, founder, chief executive officer and chair of Alamar Biosciences. “We believe the ability to measure tangle-specific tau pathology in combination with other neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation biomarkers from blood, with the sensitivity and specificity that NULISA™ provides, will open new possibilities in clinical research and clinical trials for disease staging, patient stratification, therapy response monitoring and, ultimately, for precision medicine.”
The association between eMTBR-Tau levels and tau tangle burden may help researchers classify and stage Alzheimer’s disease. It may also support patient stratification and the monitoring of biological responses to tau-targeted therapies.
“eMTBR-Tau is a vital addition to the blood-based biomarker toolkit,” comments Dr. Nicholas Ashton, senior director of the Fluid Biomarker Laboratory at Banner Health. “The ability to easily measure tau tangle pathology from a blood draw enables better disease classification and staging and has the potential to be transformative to advancing the development of new therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Alamar will present eMTBR-Tau data during a workshop at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026 in London on July 14. The presentations will cover analytical performance, correlation with tau PET imaging and patient stratification across Alzheimer’s disease stages.
The NULISAseq Neuro 220 Panel with eMTBR-Tau is available now.
This article is based on a press release issued by Alamar Biosciences.
