Blood-based biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease—A guideline for clinical use

As the population ages, cognitive disorder has emerged as a prevalent condition among the elderly, with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) being the most common type. This presents a significant social and economic challenge to the global public health system. While specific diagnostic methods for AD, such as cerebrospinal fluid testing or positron emission tomography, are available, their limited use in clinical practice is often attributed to their invasiveness or high cost. Recently, there has been growing interest in the potential of blood-based biomarkers for early screening, clinical diagnosis, and monitoring of treatment for AD. These biomarkers offer simplicity, low cost, and high patient compliance, and have shown promise in reflecting pathological changes in the brain. To standardize and guide the clinical application of blood-based biomarkers for AD, we have compiled a summary of recent advancements in clinical research and developed ten recommendations using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. These recommendations focus on the use of blood-based biomarkers for clinical diagnosis, early screening for AD, and predicting disease progression, thereby promoting their application in clinical settings.