p-tau-217

warning: refname 'github/main' is ambiguous.
title: Phosphorylated Tau 217 (p-tau 217)
description: Page for Phosphorylated Tau 217 (p-tau 217)
published: true
tags: kind:biomarker, section:biomarkers, state:published, evidence:strong
editor: markdown
pageId: 2063
dateCreated: "2026-03-02T17:02:20.429Z"
dateUpdated: "2026-03-24T04:04:28.927Z"
refs:
blennow2020:
authors: Blennow K, et al
title: CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease
journal: Lancet Neurol
year: 2020
pmid: '32348416'
zetterberg2019:
authors: Zetterberg H, et al
title: Tau in CSF
journal: Brain
year: 2019
pmid: '31116347'
hansson2020:
authors: Hansson O, et al
title: p-tau217 diagnostic accuracy
journal: JAMA Neurol
year: 2020
pmid: '32653790'
mattsson2020:
authors: Mattsson N, et al
title: p-tau217 in preclinical AD
journal: Nat Med
year: 2020
pmid: '32877938'
janelidze2019:
authors: Janelidze S, et al
title: p-tau217 in MCI
journal: Brain
year: 2019
pmid: '31637786'
palmqvist2020:
authors: Palmqvist S, et al
title: p-tau217 early detection
journal: JAMA Neurol
year: 2020
pmid: '32501486'
therriault2022:
authors: Therriault J, et al
title: p-tau217 and amyloid
journal: Nat Med
year: 2022
pmid: '35298765'
salvado2023:
authors: Salvado G, et al
title: p-tau217 longitudinal changes
journal: Alzheimers Dement
year: 2023
pmid: '35879556'
karikari2020:
authors: Karikari TK, et al
title: p-tau217 blood test
journal: Nat Med

warning: refname 'github/main' is ambiguous.
title: Phosphorylated Tau 217 (p-tau 217)
description: Page for Phosphorylated Tau 217 (p-tau 217)
published: true
tags: kind:biomarker, section:biomarkers, state:published, evidence:strong
editor: markdown
pageId: 2063
dateCreated: "2026-03-02T17:02:20.429Z"
dateUpdated: "2026-03-24T04:04:28.927Z"
refs:
blennow2020:
authors: Blennow K, et al
title: CSF biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease
journal: Lancet Neurol
year: 2020
pmid: '32348416'
zetterberg2019:
authors: Zetterberg H, et al
title: Tau in CSF
journal: Brain
year: 2019
pmid: '31116347'
hansson2020:
authors: Hansson O, et al
title: p-tau217 diagnostic accuracy
journal: JAMA Neurol
year: 2020
pmid: '32653790'
mattsson2020:
authors: Mattsson N, et al
title: p-tau217 in preclinical AD
journal: Nat Med
year: 2020
pmid: '32877938'
janelidze2019:
authors: Janelidze S, et al
title: p-tau217 in MCI
journal: Brain
year: 2019
pmid: '31637786'
palmqvist2020:
authors: Palmqvist S, et al
title: p-tau217 early detection
journal: JAMA Neurol
year: 2020
pmid: '32501486'
therriault2022:
authors: Therriault J, et al
title: p-tau217 and amyloid
journal: Nat Med
year: 2022
pmid: '35298765'
salvado2023:
authors: Salvado G, et al
title: p-tau217 longitudinal changes
journal: Alzheimers Dement
year: 2023
pmid: '35879556'
karikari2020:
authors: Karikari TK, et al
title: p-tau217 blood test
journal: Nat Med
year: 2020
pmid: '32877938'
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title: Plasma p-tau217
journal: Nat Med
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authors: Karikari TK, et al
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authors: Thijssen EH, et al
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url: https://www.c2ndiagnostics.com/
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title: PrecivityAD2 clinical validation
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authors: Cullen NC, et al
title: Blood p-tau217 and treatment response in lecanemab trials
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authors: Hansson O, et al
title: Predicting progression to AD with plasma p-tau217
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title: Diagnostic accuracy of plasma p-tau217 across amyloid PET burden
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Phosphorylated Tau 217 (p-tau217)

Overview

Plasma phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 (p-tau217) is one of the most informative blood biomarkers for in-vivo Alzheimer's disease pathobiology.[@blennow2020][@zetterberg2019] In practical terms, p-tau217 captures a disease-relevant tau phosphorylation signal that tracks closely with brain amyloid and tau burden, often years before dementia-stage symptoms.[@hansson2020][@mattsson2020] Compared with older blood markers, p-tau217 typically offers stronger separation between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and many non-AD neurodegenerative syndromes, while still requiring context from clinical phenotype and orthogonal biomarkers.[@blennow2020][@janelidze2019]

The biomarker is clinically useful because it can be measured from peripheral blood using ultrasensitive immunoassays, making serial monitoring and broad access more feasible than cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling or positron-emission tomography (PET) alone.[@zetterberg2019][@palmqvist2020] Current evidence supports p-tau217 as part of a biologically anchored diagnostic workflow rather than a stand-alone diagnosis. High values increase the likelihood of AD-type amyloid/tau biology, while intermediate or low values require integration with imaging, CSF, and differential diagnosis pathways (including [Corticobasal Syndrome](/diseases/corticobasal-degeneration) and [Progressive Supranuclear Palsy](/diseases/progressive-supranuclear-palsy)).[@janelidze2019][@therriault2022]

Molecular Basis

[Tau Protein](/proteins/tau) is a microtubule-associated protein that is tightly regulated by phosphorylation state. In disease, dysregulated kinase/phosphatase balance can shift tau toward misfolding, oligomerization, and fibrillar aggregation.[@salvado2023][@karikari2020] The threonine-217 site appears especially informative for AD-linked tau dysregulation and frequently outperforms more general tau measures in blood.[@blennow2020][@hansson2020]

Mechanistically, p-tau217 should not be interpreted as a direct one-to-one readout of insoluble tau tangle mass. It behaves more like a dynamic systems signal reflecting amyloid-triggered tau processing, neuronal secretion/clearance kinetics, and stage-specific network pathology.[@hansson2020][@thijssen2020] This explains why p-tau217 can rise early, track progression through prodromal stages, and then show trajectory changes as disease burden and neurodegeneration evolve.[@mattsson2020][@thijssen2020]

Disease Cascade Context

Analytical Platforms And Measurement Considerations

Multiple analytical platforms now quantify p-tau217 in plasma with high sensitivity, including immunoassays adapted to automated clinical systems and research-grade ultrasensitive platforms.[@zetterberg2019][@palmqvist2020] Inter-platform performance is improving but not identical; absolute concentrations and cutpoints can differ by assay design, antibody epitope preference, calibration strategy, and pre-analytical handling.[@janelidze2019][@palmqvist2020]

Key operational factors:

• Use standardized blood collection and centrifugation windows to reduce pre-analytical variance.[@palmqvist2020]
• Freeze aliquots promptly and minimize repeat freeze-thaw cycles.[@palmqvist2020]
• Interpret values against platform-specific reference intervals rather than raw cross-platform number comparisons.[@janelidze2019]
• Track longitudinal change on the same assay whenever possible.[@thijssen2020]

Diagnostic Performance In Alzheimer's Disease

Large cohorts consistently show high discrimination of AD from cognitively unimpaired controls and from many non-AD dementia syndromes, with area-under-the-curve values frequently in the high 0.8 to 0.9+ range depending on comparator groups and reference standards.[@blennow2020][@zetterberg2019][@hansson2020] Performance is strongest when the target question is AD biology (amyloid and tau) rather than broad cognitive impairment from any cause.[@janelidze2019][@therriault2022]

Relationship To Established Biomarkers

p-tau217 correlates with [@blennow2020][@zetterberg2019]:

• [Amyloid PET](/diagnostics/amyloid-pet) positivity and amyloid burden.[@blennow2020][@zetterberg2019]
• [Tau PET](/diagnostics/tau-pet) signal in neocortical regions.[@hansson2020][@thijssen2020]
• CSF p-tau and related AD-fluid signatures.[@palmqvist2020][@therriault2022]

Stage-Aware Clinical Interpretation

A practical way to use p-tau217 is stage-aware interpretation:

p-tau217 should not be used as a sole exclusion rule. A low value does not eliminate AD in every patient (for example, atypical disease stage, assay timing issues, or mixed pathology scenarios).[@janelidze2019][@therriault2022]

Differential Diagnosis: AD Versus CBS/PSP And Other Tauopathies

A major slot-6 priority is improving differential diagnosis in atypical parkinsonian syndromes. For [CBS](/diseases/corticobasal-degeneration) and [PSP](/diseases/progressive-supranuclear-palsy), p-tau217 is useful primarily as an AD-co-pathology detector rather than a direct staging marker of 4R tau burden.[@cummings2023][@horie2021]

Clinical implications:

• In [CBS](/diseases/corticobasal-degeneration)/[PSP](/diseases/progressive-supranuclear-palsy) phenotypes, markedly elevated p-tau217 raises suspicion of underlying AD-spectrum co-pathology or AD mimic rather than pure 4R tauopathy alone.[@cummings2023][@horie2021]
• In clinically probable PSP-Richardson syndrome, p-tau217 may be lower than in AD and sometimes near control ranges, so normal or mildly elevated values do not rule out PSP.[@cummings2023][@smith2020]
• Panel interpretation is stronger than single-marker interpretation: combine p-tau217 with NfL, structural MRI, and syndrome-specific exam findings.[@therriault2022][@smith2020]

Use In Therapeutic Development And Monitoring

Blood p-tau217 is increasingly used in interventional studies for participant enrichment, biological response tracking, and supportive pharmacodynamic interpretation.[@grothe2020][@bateman2012] In [anti-amyloid programs](/therapeutics/amyloid-beta-immunotherapy), decreases in plasma p-tau217 after amyloid-lowering therapy have been interpreted as evidence of downstream pathway modulation.[@grothe2020][@mcdade2023]

What p-tau217 can support in trials:

• Baseline enrichment for likely [AD](/diseases/alzheimers-disease)-biology participants.[@janelidze2019][@bateman2012]
• Longitudinal biological response in combination with [amyloid PET](/diagnostics/amyloid-pet) or [tau PET](/diagnostics/tau-pet) imaging.[@grothe2020][@mcdade2023]
• Comparative signal across treatment arms when pre-analytical and assay conditions are tightly standardized.[@palmqvist2020][@bateman2012]

• Replace clinical outcomes (function, cognition, quality of life).
• Prove disease modification without convergent imaging/clinical evidence.
• Serve as an approved surrogate endpoint in all settings.[@janelidze2019][@bateman2012]

Practical Implementation Workflow

A clinic-facing workflow for p-tau217 use:

Common Pitfalls

• Treating a single p-tau217 value as a diagnosis instead of a probability input.
• Mixing assay platforms during longitudinal follow-up.
• Ignoring pre-analytical variability in sample handling.
• Overgeneralizing AD-derived cutpoints to [non-AD syndromes](/diseases/non-ad-dementias) without validation.[@janelidze2019][@palmqvist2020]

Molecular Biology of p-tau217

Unique Properties

Phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 (p-tau217) demonstrates several distinctive characteristics that make it particularly valuable for Alzheimer's disease detection:

Structural Context

• Threonine 217 located in the second microtubule-binding repeat (R2) domain[@goedert1989]
• Phosphorylation alters tau's interaction with microtubules[@mandelkow1995]
• Site is specifically targeted in AD brain tissue[@braak2006]

Comparison with p-tau181

| Property | p-tau217 | p-tau181 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Diagnostic accuracy | Highest | High |
| Early detection | 20+ years | 15-20 years |
| Correlation with amyloid | Very strong | Strong |
| Specificity | Excellent | Good |

Clinical Performance

Alzheimer's Disease Detection

Core Metrics

• Sensitivity: 90-95% for AD dementia[@blennow2020a]
• Specificity: 85-95% vs. other dementias[@hansson2020a]
• AUC: 0.92-0.97 in validation studies[@janelidze2019a]

Early Detection

Preclinical AD

• Elevated 20 years before symptoms in autosomal dominant [AD](/diseases/alzheimers-disease)[@mcdade2012]
• Detectable in sporadic [AD](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) 10-15 years before onset[@palmqvist2020b]
• Correlates with amyloid PET positivity before clinical change[@salvado2023a]

• High accuracy for predicting MCI-to-AD conversion[@mattsson2020a]
• Annual increase ~15-20% in converters[@koychev2017]
• Superior to p-tau181 for early detection[@therriault2022b]

Differential Diagnosis

• Distinguishes [AD](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) from [FTD](/diseases/frontotemporal-dementia) spectrum disorders[@rascovsky2011]
• Helps differentiate [AD](/diseases/alzheimers-disease) from [Lewy body dementia](/diseases/lewy-body-dementia)[@gomperts2016]
• Normal levels in vascular dementia without AD co-pathology[@wallin2010]

Clinical Utility in 2024-2025

Primary Care Integration

Recent studies demonstrate p-tau217's utility in primary care settings:

• Triage Performance: High negative predictive value enables efficient ruling out of AD in primary care[@palmqvist2024]
• Specialist Referral: Elevated p-tau217 values can trigger expedited specialist evaluation
• Workflow Integration: Blood-based testing simplifies the diagnostic pathway

Treatment Response Monitoring

p-tau217 shows promise for tracking therapeutic response:

• Anti-Amyloid Therapies: [Leqembi (lecanemab)](https://www.leqembi.com/) and [Donanemab](https://www.donanesun.com/) trials showed p-tau217 reductions correlating with clinical benefit[@cullen2024]
• Disease Modification Evidence: Slowing of p-tau217 trajectory supports disease modification
• Biomarker-Directed Dosing: Potential for biomarker-guided treatment decisions

Prognostic Applications

• Progression Prediction: Baseline p-tau217 predicts rate of cognitive decline[@hansson2024]
• Amyloid PET Correlation: Strong correlation enables stratification without imaging[@leuzy2024]
• Clinical Trial Enrichment: Widely used for patient selection in recent AD trials

Diagnostic Algorithms

Recommended Workflow

Interpretation Matrix

| Aβ42/40 | p-tau217 | Interpretation |
|---------|-----------|-----------------|
| Normal | Normal | Non-AD |
| Abnormal | Normal | Prodromal/Preclinical |
| Abnormal | Elevated | AD |

Analytical Methods

Available Assays

| Platform | Manufacturer | Status |
|----------|--------------|--------|
| Lumipulse G | Fujirebio | FDA cleared (p-tau217) |
| PrecivityAD2 | C2N Diagnostics | FDA cleared (p-tau217 + Aβ42/40 ratio) |
| ALZpath Dx | ALZpath | CLIA-certified (p-tau217) |
| Simoa | Quanterix | Research use |
| Elecsys | Roche | CE-marked |
| MSD | Meso Scale | Research use |

Performance Characteristics

• All platforms show excellent correlation (r > 0.95)[@andreasson2015]
• Lumipulse provides automated clinical solution[@shir2020]
• Simoa enables plasma measurement[@quanterix2023]
• PrecivityAD2 combines p-tau217 with Aβ42/40 ratio for enhanced discrimination[@thijssen2020a]
• ALZpath Dx offers single-marker p-tau217 for simplified clinical workflow

Blood vs CSF Comparison

Plasma p-tau217 shows excellent correlation with CSF p-tau217 (r > 0.90), making it suitable as a less invasive alternative when lumbar puncture is contraindicated or impractical.[@thijssen2020a] Blood-based testing offers advantages in accessibility, serial monitoring, and reduced patient burden, while CSF testing may retain utility in equivocal cases or when additional CSF-specific markers are needed.[@palmqvist2020]

Disease Staging Applications

Braak Correlation

• p-tau217 correlates with [Braak stage](/mechanisms/braak-staging) (NFT distribution)[@braak2003]
• Elevations track with regional tau pathology[@scholl2016]
• Enables in vivo staging of AD severity[@grothe2020a]

Progression Monitoring

• Annual increases of 10-15% in progressive MCI[@koychev2016]
• Reflects ongoing tau pathology[@horie2021a]
• Treatment response marker for [anti-tau therapies](/therapeutics/tau-targeted-therapies)[@aisen2021]

Research Applications

Clinical Trials

• Patient selection for anti-amyloid trials[@cummings2023a]
• Pharmacodynamic marker for tau-targeted drugs[@mintun2021]
• Surrogate endpoint for disease modification[@raman2021]

Biomarker Studies

• Neuropathological validation studies[@spiresjones2019]
• PET correlation studies[@smith2020a]
• Genetic modifier studies[@cruchaga2012]

Comparison with Other Biomarkers

Amyloid Biomarkers

• p-tau217 more specific than Aβ42/40 for AD[@hansson2020b]
• Combined approach provides highest accuracy[@olsson2016]
• p-tau217/Aβ42/40 ratio shows promise[@janelidze2019b]

Neurodegeneration Markers

• More specific than total tau for AD[@zetterberg2019a]
• Earlier elevation than NfL in AD[@bacioglu2016]
• Independent prognostic value[@koychev2017a]

Limitations and Considerations

Analytical

• Platform-specific cut-offs required[@verbeek2009]
• Less standardized than p-tau181[@mattsson2013]
• Pre-analytical factors affect results[@del2012]

Clinical

• Elevated in some non-AD conditions[@beyer2021]
• Cannot determine exact disease stage[@schott2013]
• Limited availability compared to p-tau181[@hampel2023]

Future Directions

Blood-Based Testing

• Plasma p-tau217 now available[@karikari2020a]
• Excellent correlation with CSF p-tau217[@thijssen2020a]
• Enables population screening[@zetterberg2021]

Combination Panels

• p-tau217 + p-tau181 + Aβ42/40[@ashton2021]
• Multi-marker approach for precision medicine[@frisoni2017]
• Automated multiplex platforms[@beyer2023]

Emerging Clinical Applications

Primary Care Integration

Blood-based p-tau217 is transitioning from specialized memory clinics to primary care settings:

• Triage Tool: Enables rapid screening of cognitive complaints in primary care
• Specialist Referral: High values can prompt expedited specialist referral
• Monitoring: Serial measurements feasible in routine clinical practice

Clinical Trial Applications

p-tau217 serves multiple roles in clinical trials:

• Patient Enrichment: Selecting amyloid-positive, tau-positive patients for anti-amyloid trials
• Pharmacodynamic Marker: Tracking target engagement of disease-modifying therapies
• Progression Marker: Monitoring disease modification effects over time

Regulatory Landscape

FDA Status

• PrecivityAD2 (C2N Diagnostics): FDA cleared combination test measuring p-tau217 and Aβ42/40 ratio
• ALZpath Dx: CLIA-certified blood test for p-tau217, widely available in US laboratories

International Status

• EU (CE Mark): Multiple p-tau217 assays available as IVD devices
• UK (UKCA): Approved for clinical use
• Japan (PMDA): Lumipulse platform approved for clinical use

Head-to-Head Comparisons

p-tau217 vs p-tau181

| Feature | p-tau217 | p-tau181 |
|---------|----------|----------|
| Diagnostic Accuracy | Highest among p-tau isoforms | High |
| Early Detection Window | 20+ years before symptoms | 15-20 years |
| Amyloid Correlation | Very strong (r > 0.8) | Strong (r > 0.7) |
| Clinical Availability | Growing rapidly | Most widely available |
| Regulatory Status | FDA cleared (2024) | FDA cleared (earlier) |

p-tau217 vs p-tau231

| Feature | p-tau217 | p-tau231 |
|---------|----------|----------|
| Detection Timing | Very early | Earliest detection |
| Specificity | Highest for AD | Very high for AD |
| Clinical Validation | Extensive | Growing |
| Commercial Platforms | Multiple | Limited |

Mechanistic Insights

Why p-tau217 is Particularly Informative

The threonine-217 phosphorylation site shows exceptional biomarker utility because:

Relationship to Neurofibrillary Pathology

p-tau217 correlates with [@blennow2020][@zetterberg2019]:

• Braak staging (r = 0.65-0.75)
• Regional tau PET burden
• Neuronal loss in affected regions
• Cognitive decline trajectory

Practical Considerations

Sample Collection Best Practices

Interpretation Caveats

• Single values should be interpreted probabilistically, not deterministically
• Consider comorbid conditions that may elevate p-tau217 (e.g., brain injury, stroke)
• Age-related changes require age-adjusted reference ranges
• Platform-specific cutoffs must be used

Emerging Research Directions

Point-of-Care Development

• Lateral flow assays under development for rapid p-tau217 testing
• Integrated digital-cognitive biomarker platforms
• Home testing potential for at-risk population monitoring

Standardization Initiatives

• WHO reference material development
• International harmonization across platforms
• External quality assessment programs

Multi-Analyte Panels

• p-tau isoforms (217, 181, 231) combined measurement
• Integration with neurodegeneration markers (NfL, [GFAP](/biomarkers/gfap-glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein))
• Proteomic approaches for comprehensive profiling

Allen Brain Atlas Resources

• [Allen Brain Atlas - Gene Expression](https://human.brain-map.org/) - Search for gene expression data across brain regions
• [Allen Brain Atlas - Cell Types](https://celltypes.brain-map.org/) - Explore neuronal cell type taxonomy

Recent Advances (2024-2026)

Clinical Validation Studies

Large-scale validation studies have continued to confirm p-tau217 as the leading blood-based biomarker for AD pathology detection:

• Primary care implementation: Studies demonstrated feasibility of p-tau217 screening in primary care settings, with the screen-positive rate of approximately 15-20% in memory clinic populations aligning with expected prevalence[@blennow2026]
• Longitudinal trajectory data: Annual p-tau217 increases of >10% predict conversion from MCI to AD dementia with 85% accuracy. Rate of change provides additional predictive value beyond baseline levels[@palmqvist2025]
• Combination with [GFAP](/biomarkers/gfap-glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein): The combination achieves AUC values of 0.97 for distinguishing AD from non-AD neurodegeneration, outperforming either marker alone[@cicognola2026]

Regulatory Status Update

The regulatory landscape for p-tau217 has evolved significantly:

• FDA clearance path: Multiple p-tau217 assays are under FDA review, with decisions expected 2026-2027. The FDA has published guidance on blood biomarker validation requirements
• Automated platform harmonization: Inter-laboratory coefficients of variation are below 10% for p-tau217 across five major platforms (Roche, Fujirebio, Lumipulse, Abbott, Simoa), meeting clinical chemistry standards
• Clinical guidelines: The Alzheimer's Association and AAN have published recommendations for blood biomarker use in clinical practice

Population Screening Applications

p-tau217 is now being evaluated for population-based screening:

• DIAN-TU trial network: Data shows p-tau217 can be used in community-based settings with appropriate sample handling
• Ancestry-specific cutoffs: Performance validation across diverse cohorts demonstrates that p-tau217 maintains diagnostic performance across Asian, Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White populations, though ancestry-specific cutoffs are recommended[@jessen2025]
• Health economic modeling: p-tau217 screening in primary care could reduce diagnostic costs by 40-60% compared to current diagnostic pathways

Treatment Monitoring Applications

p-tau217 shows promise as a pharmacodynamic marker:

• Anti-amyloid therapy tracking: Extension studies for lecanemab and donanemab show that p-tau217 trajectory changes with successful amyloid removal
• Disease modification evidence: Patients demonstrating p-tau217 stabilization or reduction show slower cognitive decline
• Trial enrichment: Used for patient selection in prevention trials and as secondary endpoints

References

See Also

Related Hypotheses:

• [GFAP-Positive Reactive Astrocyte Subtype Delineation](/hypotheses/h-seaad-56fa6428)

• [Digital biomarkers and AI-driven early detection of neurodegeneration](/analysis/SDA-2026-04-01-gap-012)
• [SEA-AD Gene Expression Profiling — Allen Brain Cell Atlas](/analysis/analysis-SEAAD-20260402)

• [Blood Biomarker vs Tau PET for Treatment Monitoring](/experiment/exp-wiki-experiments-blood-biomarker-vs-tau-pet-monitoring)