Quest Diagnostics launches first at-home blood test to assess risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease

Quest Diagnostics Inc.
DGX,
+0.10%
said Monday it has brought the first blood-based biomarker test to assess the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease to market and it’s now available for consumer purchase. The test helps assess the risk of getting the disease based on the brain protein beta amyloid which contributes to it. Amyloid beta proteins are known to accumulate and form plaques in the brain, which are linked to the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. “AD-Detect evaluates the ratio of two peptides of amyloid beta, A42 and A40, in plasma,” Quest said in a statement. The move comes at a time when treatments for Alzheimer’s are emerging, there’s growing recognition that non-pharmacological interventions can reduce disease risk, and there’s greater medical acceptance of blood tests to aid early Alzheimer’s disease detection. More than six million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, which is the most common form of dementia. That number is expected to climb to 14 million by 2060. The stock was up 0.5% premarket and has fallen 14% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 19%.