Translating Alzheimer Disease Research From Bench to Bedside: Heather M. Snyder, PhD

Blood-based biomarkers have moved quickly toward routine clinical use in Alzheimer disease (AD). In 2025, the Alzheimer's Association issued its first clinical practice guideline on these tests, recommending that assays with at least 90% sensitivity and 75% specificity may be used for triage. In addition, those with at least 90% sensitivity and specificity may substitute for amyloid PET or CSF testing in patients with cognitive impairment seen in specialized care.¹ Performance in primary care, where most patients first present, has remained an open question.

At the 2026 Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), held July 12-15 in London, a real-world study of more than 1,300 patients and 165 physicians in Sweden found that family physicians who reviewed blood test results diagnosed AD correctly 93% of the time, up from 65% before seeing results and nearly matching specialists' 94%.² A separate pooled analysis of 2,684 cognitively unimpaired older adults linked higher plasma p-tau217 to greater risk of progression to cognitive impairment, although investigators noted further validation is needed before the marker informs individual prognosis.³

Evidence for risk reduction has also grown. The US POINTER trial (NCT03688126) of 2111 at-risk older adults showed that a structured, higher-intensity multidomain lifestyle intervention produced significantly greater gains in global cognition over 2 years than a self-guided program.⁴ At AAIC 2026, the LatAm-FINGERS trial (NCT06492967) extended these findings to 1,065 at-risk adults across 11 Latin American countries, in which a culturally adapted, structured intervention improved global cognition more than a flexible health-advice approach.⁵ The meeting also featured the phase 2 LiBBY trial (NCT05644262), in which an investigational oral tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) combination (T2:C100; MediPharm Labs) reduced agitation in 120 hospice-eligible patients with dementia.²

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"A special report that the Alzheimer's Association did earlier in 2026 tells us that 9 in 10 Americans say brain health is very important. Less than 10[%] know what to do about it, but where do they want to have that conversation? They want to have that conversation with their healthcare provider, and they want to understand what they can be thinking about and doing with brain health."

To discuss the major takeaways from AAIC 2026, NeurologyLive® spoke with Heather M. Snyder, PhD, senior vice president of medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer's Association. Snyder highlighted advances in blood-based diagnostics, including a Swedish study demonstrating improved diagnostic accuracy in primary care, as well as growing recognition of copathologies and their implications for evaluating cognitive impairment.

Snyder also discussed findings from LatAm-FINGERS and US POINTER, emphasizing how multidomain lifestyle interventions can be adapted across communities to support cognitive health. She highlighted efforts to translate these findings into clinical practice, alongside positive results from LiBBY for agitation and an expanding pipeline of therapeutic targets for Alzheimer disease.

Click here for more of our AAIC 2026 coverage.

REFERENCES
1. Palmqvist S, Whitson HE, Allen LA, et al. Alzheimer's Association Clinical Practice Guideline on the use of blood-based biomarkers in the diagnostic workup of suspected Alzheimer's disease within specialized care settings. Alzheimers Dement. 2025;21(7):e70535. doi:10.1002/alz.70535
2. Research advances from the 2026 Alzheimer's Association International Conference. News release. Alzheimer's Association. July 16, 2026. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/overview.asp
3. Buckley RF, Townsend DL, Birkenbihl CJ, et al. Prognostic Value of Blood-Based P-Tau217 Levels for Progression to Cognitive Impairment. JAMA. 2026;336(11):950-959. doi:10.1001/jama.2026.12556
4. Baker LD, Espeland MA, Whitmer RA, et al. Structured vs Self-Guided Multidomain Lifestyle Interventions for Global Cognitive Function: The US POINTER Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2025;334(8):681-691. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.12923
5. Crivelli L, Suemoto CK, Sosa AL, et al. Multidomain lifestyle intervention for the prevention of cognitive decline in at-risk older adults in Latin America (LatAm-FINGERS): a single-blind, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2026;408(10553):417-429. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(26)01278-X