Enhancing Biomarker Use and Targeted Treatment Approaches in Alzheimer Disease: Aaron Burstein, PharmD

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"I’ll acknowledge that I am not a clinician, and so I don’t manage patient care. But in my discussions within our organization, and even some of the data that I’ve seen [at CTAD 2025], I think it’s showing the importance of understanding the patient’s biomarker."

At the recently concluded 18th Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) Conference, held December 1-4, 2025, in San Diego, California, researchers presented findings from clinical trials focusing on the latest therapeutics and diagnostic techniques for patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Among them included the phase 3 EVOKE trials (EVOKE, NCT0477396; EVOKE+, NCT4777409), which evaluated semaglutide (Ozempic; Novo Nordisk), a GLP-1 agonist, in patients with early-stage AD symptoms, as well as the phase 1b/2a Brainshuttle AD study (NCT04639050) of trontinemab (Roche), an investigational antiamyloid therapy for the treatment of AD.¹

To learn more about the findings and clinical implications of these studies presented at CTAD 2025, NeurologyLive^® sat down with Aaron Burstein, PharmD, head of search and evaluation at the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, at the conference. In the conversation, Burstein discussed recent advances in diagnostics and therapies in the field of AD that were highlighted during the meeting, as well as discussed a shift from traditional amyloid PET imaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis to blood-based biomarkers capable of detecting amyloid and tau proteins.

Further into the interview, Burstein described emerging therapies, including trontinemab, which he noted uses a brain shuttle approach to deliver antibodies more selectively to the central nervous system and reduce the risk of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities. He also emphasized the importance of assessing patient-specific biomarkers to guide treatment decisions and enable precision medicine strategies. Furthermore, he noted the potential role of combination therapies and agents targeting biological processes beyond amyloid, similar to approaches used in oncology.

Click here to view more coverage of CTAD 2025.

REFERENCES
1. New Data from Semaglutide Trials Provides Critical Insights to Guide Next Generation of Therapies Targeting Alzheimer’s Pathobiology. News release. Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation. December 4, 2025. Accessed January 19, 2026. https://www.alzdiscovery.org/news-room/announcements/new-data-from-semaglutide-trials-provides-critical-insights-to-guide-next-generation-of-therapies-targeting-alzheimers-pathobiology