Veravas and Phanes Biotech Partner to Enhance Early Alzheimer’s Detection with Tau Blood Test

Efforts to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD) earlier are advancing with a new collaboration between Veravas and Phanes Biotech. The companies have announced their alliance to refine a blood-based test that can detect tau pathology, a hallmark of AD. By investigating the interaction between hyperphosphorylated tau and normal tau proteins in the brain, Veravas and Phanes hope to create a more accessible diagnostic tool for clinicians and researchers.

Tackling the Diagnostic Gap in Alzheimer’s Detection

Despite AD’s prevalence, effective early diagnostic tools remain scarce, leading to missed diagnoses for many patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). While tau pathology has long been considered the “gold standard” for diagnosing AD, the current reliance on tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging presents challenges with high costs and limited accessibility. Khalid Iqbal, chief scientific officer and co-founder of Phanes, emphasized that diagnostic innovation has lagged behind therapeutic advancements, leaving clinicians with few practical options for detecting and measuring disease pathology.

How VeraBIND Technology Could Transform Alzheimer’s Testing

Central to Veravas’ contribution is its VeraBIND technology, a platform designed to eliminate interference from blood samples, allowing for the detection of low-abundance biomarkers that were previously undetectable. VeraBIND was used to develop Veravas’ tau assay, which identifies active tau pathology. In a preliminary study conducted by Veravas with Saint Luc University Hospital in Belgium, the assay accurately measured tau pathology in patients across cognitive stages—those without cognitive impairment, those with mild cognitive impairment, and those diagnosed with AD. This development represents a significant step toward making tau pathology testing available beyond PET imaging, giving clinicians a tool that is both accurate and accessible.

Why Earlier and Accessible Detection Matters

The potential of VeraBIND technology to reduce the uncertainties and accessibility barriers of current AD diagnostics could benefit clinicians, patients, and researchers alike. By offering an alternative to PET imaging, VeraBIND technology could improve diagnostic precision while reducing patient wait times and healthcare costs. Veravas plans to complete clinical validation of VeraBIND Tau and aims to release a laboratory-developed test, potentially enhancing AD diagnostics and care with this more accessible solution.