SPEAR for neurology

Scientists conducting biomarker research for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) should consider the SPEAR UltraDetect™ pTau 217 assay over other commercially available assay kits due to its exceptional sensitivity, accuracy, and practical advantages.

The SPEAR UltraDetect pTau 217 assay delivers remarkable sensitivity and specificity, demonstrating a 4.9-fold increase in pTau-217 levels in PET-positive cases, nearly doubling the 2.5-fold seen with a well-established pTau 217 assay. The SPEAR UltraDetect pTau 217 assay quantified all samples across the cohort and exhibited robust inter-day precision at 5.4% average CV. Using a single cutoff, SPEAR achieved 91.2% sensitivity, 93.2% specificity, 94.6% PPV, and 89.1% NPV, with 92.1% overall accuracy. When optimizing for ≥95% specificity and sensitivity, the number of points in the indeterminate range was reduced from 34% for the well-established pTau 217 assay to 12% for the SPEAR assay

Superior performance metrics, plus ultra-small sample volume requirements position SPEAR UltraDetect pTau217 as an extremely reliable, precise, and practical tool for biomarker research, including pTau 217 longitudinal research. Learn more. 

pTau217, or phosphorylated tau at threonine 217, is a protein found in cerebrospinal fluid and blood that plays a pivotal role in distinguishing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from other neurodegenerative diseases. In biomarker research, pTau217 is increasingly recognized as a highly predictive biomarker for amyloid pathology associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Spear Bio has developed an ultra-sensitive immunoassay, SPEAR UltraDetect™ pTau 217, which enables precise pTau217 quantification with excellent accuracy and specificity for detecting pTau 217 in serum or plasma samples.