How to know your Alzheimer’s risk

A practical catalogue of DNA, blood, CSF, PET and MRI options with regulatory status, geography and approximate price.

Alzheimer’s risk testing options

How to know your Alzheimer’s risk? Check the options below.

Except for 23andMe, every test requires a doctor’s prescription, but they are generally accessible through private clinics.

This list includes only assays with some form of regulatory clearance; it is not comprehensive (other companies may offer comparable tests).

Some of the options estimate long-term risk (about 10 years), and others measure current biological changes that increase your shorter-term risk (about 3-5 years).

Blood-based markers such as p-tau217 are moving fast. Recent reporting suggests they can spot Alzheimer’s biology years earlier, with accuracy figures around 90% in some settings [31, 32]. That is why catalogues like this matter: knowing which tool answers which question is half the battle.

DNA tests

23andMe APOE ε4 Genotyping

• Company: 23andMe
• Accuracy: 99% in detecting the mutation [1]
• Status: FDA-authorized [2]
• Country: US, UK, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden [3]
• Price: $199 [4]

Invitae Hereditary Alzheimer’s Disease Panel (APP, PSEN1, PSEN2)

• Company: Invitae (Labcorp)
• Accuracy: 99% in detecting the mutations [5]
• Status: CLIA-certified, not FDA-cleared [5]
• Country: US, and case-by-case in EU [5]
• Price: from $299 [6]

Blood tests

Lumipulse G p-tau217 / β-amyloid 1-42

• Company: Fujirebio
• Accuracy: 94% when “indeterminate” results are excluded; 75% when counted as incorrect [7]
• Status: FDA-cleared [8]
• Country: US [8]
• Price: $500 - $1,000 [9]

PrecivityAD2 p-tau217 + Aβ42/40

• Company: C2N Diagnostics
• Accuracy: 88% [10]
• Status: CLIA LDT, not FDA-cleared [11] and MHRA certified [12]. Previous version (PrecivityAD) CE marked [13]
• Country: US [11] and UK [12]. Previous version (PrecivityAD) in EU [13]
• Price: $1,450 [14]

LucentAD p-tau217

• Company: Quanterix
• Accuracy: 93% [15]
• Status: CLIA LDT, not FDA-cleared [16][17]
• Country: US [16]
• Price: $300 [14]

CSF, PET and MRI

Lumipulse G β-amyloid Ratio (CSF)

• Company: Fujirebio
• Accuracy: 90% [18]
• Status: FDA approved [18] and CE marking [19]
• Country: US [20] and EU [19]
• Price: $800 - $1,500 [21]

PET: β-amyloid neuritic plaque density

• Company: Eli Lilly (Amyvid / Avid), Life Molecular Imaging (Neuraceq), GE HealthCare (Vizamyl)
• Accuracy: 95% [22]
• Status: FDA and EMA approved [22]
• Country: US [23] and EU [22]
• Price: about $5,000 [24]

PET: aggregated tau neurofibrillary tangles

• Company: Eli Lilly (Tauvid)
• Accuracy: 78%-92% [25]
• Status: FDA and EMA approved [26]
• Country: US and EU [26]
• Price: about $5,000 [24]

MRI: NeuroQuant volumetric brain and ARIA

• Company: Cortechs.ai
• Accuracy: 84% [27]
• Status: FDA cleared [28] and CE marked [29]
• Availability: US [28], UK and EU [29]
• Price: $500 - $600 [30]

If you want the prevention levers that matter once you know your risk, see People do want to know their Alzheimer’s risk.

References

1. 23andMe Genetic Health Risk Report package insert
2. FDA, Direct-to-consumer tests
3. 23andMe shipping countries
4. 23andMe DNA Health + Ancestry
5. Invitae Hereditary Alzheimer’s Disease Panel
6. Invitae billing
7. FDA K242706 decision summary
8. FDA clears first blood test used in diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease
9. What to know about the new blood test for Alzheimer’s
10. PrecivityAD2 accuracy evidence
11. C2N PrecivityAD2 clinical-care release
12. C2N PrecivityAD2 MHRA certification
13. PrecivityAD CE marking coverage
14. Being Patient on Alzheimer’s blood-test pricing
15. LucentAD accuracy poster update
16. Quanterix p-tau217 blood biomarker launch
17. LucentAD Complete
18. FDA DEN200072 review
19. Fujirebio Lumipulse G beta-amyloid 1-40
20. FDA permits marketing of CSF Alzheimer’s test
21. AAFP diagnostic tests for Alzheimer disease
22. EMA Amyvid assessment report
23. FDA Amyvid clinical pharmacology review
24. Radiology Today on PET pricing context
25. Lilly Tauvid accuracy information
26. Flortaucipir legal status overview
27. NeuroQuant accuracy preprint
28. FDA clears NeuroQuant 5 software
29. NeuroQuant CE marking
30. MD Save NeuroQuant pricing example
31. CNN on Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers
32. Eric Topol on the breakthrough blood test for Alzheimer’s