AD/PD™ Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases Conference 2026
Join Spear Bio at AD/PD™ 2026Spear Bio is proud to sponsor and participate in AD/PD™ 2026: International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases, taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, from March 17-21, 2026.
This conference is where the brightest minds gather to explore the latest research, clinical trials, and treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. From uncovering groundbreaking discoveries to sharing the latest developments in treatments.
Visit Spear Bio at Booth #36
Visit us at Booth #36 to learn how SPEAR UltraDetect™ technology is enabling researchers to measure ultra-low abundance biomarkers with attomolar sensitivity, high specificity, and exceptional precision—using as little as 1 µL of diluted sample.
Our team will be sharing new data and highlighting newly launched assays, including the SPEAR UltraDetect™ BD-pTau 217, demonstrating how SPEAR technology is expanding biomarker applications across Alzheimer’s disease, synucleinopathies, and TDP-43 proteinopathies, supporting earlier detection, longitudinal monitoring, and therapeutic development.
Product Theater
When Ultra-Sensitivity Meets High Specificity & Precision: Expanding Biomarker Applications Across Neurodegenerative Proteinopathies
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time: 10:40 – 11:10
Presenter: Dr. Laurel Provencher
VP, Application Support – Spear Bio
Session Description:
Ultra-sensitive assay technologies have transformed investigation of blood-based biomarkers across neurodegenerative diseases, most notably Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Yet, extending their utility to early detection, longitudinal monitoring, and treatment response assessment demands not only increased analytical sensitivity but also high specificity and precision to resolve low-abundance proteins and subtle longitudinal changes. This need is further amplified by the emergence of highly specific biomarker species, such as brain-derived phosphorylated tau 217 (BD-pTau 217), which are present at extremely low concentrations in peripheral biofluids, and extends equally to biomarkers of synucleinpathy and TDP-43 proteinopathy.
In this presentation, Dr. Laurel Provencher, VP of Application Support, will describe the analytical principles of SPEAR technology and its unique approach to achieving attomolar sensitivity with high specificity and precision using just 1 µL of diluted sample. Using pTau 217 and BD-pTau 217 as case studies, she will present analytical validation data and results from clinical samples derived from memory clinic cohorts, community-based cohorts, and cognitively normal individuals, demonstrating superior biomarker performance on the SPEAR UltraDetect™ platform across the AD continuum.
The presentation will also debut new SPEAR UltraDetect™ assays targeting biomarkers relevant to synucleinopathies, including alpha-synuclein species relevant to Parkinson’s disease, and TDP-43 proteinopathy such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), highlighting their potential to advance ultra-sensitive plasma biomarker research beyond amyloid pathology.
Scientific Posters Featuring SPEAR Technology
SHIFT 02-421: ADVANCING PLASMA PTAU217 DETECTION WITH AN ULTRASENSITIVE SPEAR BIO PLATFORM
Alpana Singh1, Marisa Denkinger2, Kari Dieckhoff2, James Liu2, Tainá Marques2, Sterling Johnson3, Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren4, Shorena Janelidze4, Oskar Hansson4, Nicholas Ashton2
1Banner Sun Health Research Institute, 2Banner Sun Health Research Institute, 3Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 4Lund University, Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department Of Clinical Sciences Malmö
SHIFT 02-418: AN EVALUATION OF A REPRODUCIBLE AND HIGH-PRECISION PLASMA PTAU 217 ASSAY FOR BROADER CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH
Laurel Provencher1, Cherry Fan1, Zidong Wang1, Jialu Liu1, Camilla Worsfold1, Ximing Chi1, Pia Kivisäkk2, Feng Xuan1
1Spear Bio, 2Massachusetts General Hospital, Department Of Neurology
SHIFT 02-649: SPEAR ULTRADETECT™ PARALLEL PLEX SOLUTION: OVERCOMING MULTIPLEXING CHALLENGES WITH HIGH PRECISION AND MINIMAL SAMPLE VOLUME
Xue Jiang, Yunfei Niu, Shunqiang Wang, Addison Mirliani, Laurel Provencher, Zidong Wang, Feng Xuan
Spear Bio
SHIFT 02-714: A HIGHLY SENSITIVE SPEAR ULTRADETECT™ BRAIN-DERIVED PTAU 217 ASSAY ENABLES ACCURATE DISCRIMINATION OF AMYLOID PATHOLOGY
Tracy Liu, Wonhee Kim, Wenjing Jiang, Corinne Thomas, Jeremy Tan, Cherry Fan, Feng Xuan
Spear Bio
Meet with Spear Bio
Our team will be available throughout the meeting to discuss your research needs and potential collaborations.
