Update on biomarkers for amyloid pathology in Alzheimer's disease

At the center of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis is the aberrant aggregation of amyloid-beta (A beta) into oligomers, fibrils and plaques. Effective monitoring of A beta deposition directly in patients is essential to assist anti-A beta therapeutics in target engagement and participant selection. In the advent of approved anti-A beta therapeutics, biomarkers will become of fundamental importance in initiating treatments having disease modifying effects at the earliest stage. Two well-established A beta biomarkers are widely utilized: A beta-binding ligands for positron emission tomography and immunoassays to measure A beta 42 in cerebrospinal fluid. In this review, we will discuss the current clinical, diagnostic and research state of biomarkers for A beta pathology. Furthermore, we will explore the current application of blood-based markers to assess A beta pathology.