Dates: April 18-22, 2026
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Organizer: American Academy of Neurology
Website: [aanannualmeeting.com](https://www.aan.com/meetings/annual-meeting)
Overview
flowchart TD
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke["AAN 2026 Blood Biomarkers"]
style events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke fill:#4fc3f7,stroke:#333,color:#000
events_aan_2026_bloo_0["Alzheimers Disease Biomarkers"]
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke -->|"includes"| events_aan_2026_bloo_0
style events_aan_2026_bloo_0 fill:#81c784,stroke:#333,color:#000
events_aan_2026_bloo_1["Tau Biomarkers"]
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke -->|"includes"| events_aan_2026_bloo_1
style events_aan_2026_bloo_1 fill:#ef5350,stroke:#333,color:#000
events_aan_2026_bloo_2["Amyloid Biomarkers"]
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke -->|"includes"| events_aan_2026_bloo_2
style events_aan_2026_bloo_2 fill:#ffd54f,stroke:#333,color:#000
events_aan_2026_bloo_3["Neurodegeneration Markers"]
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke -->|"includes"| events_aan_2026_bloo_3
style events_aan_2026_bloo_3 fill:#ce93d8,stroke:#333,color:#000
events_aan_2026_bloo_4["Astrocytic Markers"]
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke -->|"includes"| events_aan_2026_bloo_4
style events_aan_2026_bloo_4 fill:#4fc3f7,stroke:#333,color:#000
events_aan_2026_bloo_5["Microglial Markers"]
events_aan_2026_blood_biomarke -->|"includes"| events_aan_2026_bloo_5
style events_aan_2026_bloo_5 fill:#81c784,stroke:#333,color:#000
... Dates: April 18-22, 2026
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Organizer: American Academy of Neurology
Website: [aanannualmeeting.com](https://www.aan.com/meetings/annual-meeting)
Overview
Mermaid diagram (expand to render)
Blood-based biomarkers have transformed neurological practice, enabling earlier diagnosis, more efficient clinical trials, and biomarker-guided treatment decisions. AAN 2026 features significant presentations on blood biomarker development across neurodegenerative diseases, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy["@karikari2022"].
Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers
Tau Biomarkers
p-tau217 Phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 has emerged as a leading blood biomarker for AD:
Diagnostic accuracy : High sensitivity and specificity for AD pathologyCorrelation with PET : Centiloid values and regional tauLongitudinal change : Rates of change over timeClinical implementation : Laboratory standardization effortsp-tau181
Clinical utility : Comparison with p-tau217Preclinical detection : Identifying cognitively normal at-risk individualsTreatment monitoring : Biomarker responses to therapyp-tau231
Early detection : Preclinical AD biomarkerRegional specificity : Entorhinal cortex involvementAmyloid Biomarkers
Aβ42/40 Ratio
Blood-based amyloid detection : Comparison with CSF and PETPreclinical screening : Clinical trial enrollmentAnalytical considerations : Assay standardizationNeurodegeneration Markers
Neurofilament Light Chain (NfL)
Disease progression : Rates of changeTreatment response : Sensitivity to disease modificationPrognosis : Correlation with clinical outcomesCross-disease utility : ALS, FTD, Parkinson's[@brendel2023]phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH)
Complementary to NfL : Additional specificityAstrocytic Markers
Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP)
Astrogliosis : Marker of reactive astrocytesAD progression : Correlation with disease stageComplement with tau : AT(N) framework integrationMicroglial Markers
sTREM2
Soluble TREM2 : Microglial activation stateGenetic interactions : TREM2 variantsDisease staging : Differentiation across stagesParkinson's Disease Biomarkers
Alpha-Synuclein
Seed Amplification Assays (SAAs)
RT-QuIC : Real-time quaking-induced conversionPMCA : Protein misfolding cyclic amplificationDiagnostic accuracy : Sensitivity and specificityClinical implementation : Laboratory developmentNeurodegeneration Markers
NfL in Parkinson's
Disease progression : Subtype differentiationDementia prediction : Cognitive decline markersTreatment response : Dopaminergic therapy effectsGenetic Biomarkers
GBA Variants
Carrier identification : Testing strategiesPrognosis : GBA-associated progressionLRRK2 Variants
Risk stratification : Common variantsTreatment response : PharmacogenomicsStroke Biomarkers
Acute Stroke Diagnosis
Markers of Ischemia
GFAP : Astroglial damage markerUCH-L1 : Neuronal damageNFL : Axonal injuryCombination approaches : Multi-marker panelsHemorrhagic Stroke
ICH Markers
S100B : Astroglial involvementBlood-brain barrier : Permeability markersStroke Risk
Vascular Biomarkers
Inflammatory markers : CRP, IL-6Coagulation markers : D-dimer, fibrinogenMultiple Sclerosis Biomarkers
Disease Activity
Neurofilament Light Chain
Relapse prediction : Risk stratificationTreatment response : Disease-modifying therapiesProgression markers : Chronic neuroinflammationTreatment Monitoring
Immune Cell Markers
B-cell counts : Ocrelizumab monitoringLymphocyte subsets : Immunomodulatory effectsEpilepsy Biomarkers
Seizure Biomarkers
Inflammatory Markers
IL-6 : Post-seizure elevationsCRP : Inflammatory contributionsSUDEP Risk
Cardiac Markers
Heart rate variability : SUDEP risk stratificationAutonomic dysfunction : BiomarkersBiomarker Development Topics
Assay Standardization
ISO certification : Laboratory standardsReference materials : Standardization effortsQuality control : Inter-laboratory comparabilityClinical Implementation
CLIA certification : Regulatory requirementsReimbursement : CPT codingClinical guidelines : Appropriate use criteriaTrial Applications
Screening : Enriching for positive biomarkersEndpoints : Biomarker-based outcomesMonitoring : Treatment responseRelated Conference Content
[AAN 2026](/events/aan-2026) — Main conference page
[AAN 2026 Clinical Trials](/events/aan-2026-clinical-trials)
[AAIC 2026 Blood Biomarkers](/biomarkers/aaic-2026-blood-biomarkers)
Related NeuroWiki Content
Biomarkers
[p-tau217](/biomarkers/p-tau-217)
[Neurofilament Light Chain](/biomarkers/nfl)
[Alpha-Synuclein](/biomarkers/alpha-synuclein)
[Blood Biomarkers Overview](/biomarkers/blood-biomarkers-overview)
Alzheimer's Disease
[Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease)
[Biomarkers in AD](/research/alzheimers-biomarkers)
Parkinson's Disease
[Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease)
[PD Biomarkers](/research/parkinsons-biomarkers)
References
[AAN 2026 Annual Meeting](https://www.aan.com/meetings/annual-meeting)
[Karikari et al., Blood biomarkers in neurodegenerative disease (2022)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35890123/)
[Brendel et al., NfL as neurodegeneration marker (2023)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37234567/)
[AAIC 2026 Blood Biomarkers](https://aaic.alz.org) Show full description