eMTBR-Tau offers a non-invasive, blood-based measurement of the tau tangle burden, the core pathology associated with disease progression and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease
Immunoassay for eMTBR-Tau is available in the NULISAseq Neuro 220 panel and as a single-plex assay through the Technology Access Program
Data to be featured in Alamar's workshop at AAIC 2026
FREMONT, Calif., July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alamar Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALMR), a leader in precision proteomics dedicated to enabling the earliest detection of disease, today launched the first commercial eMTBR-Tau immunoassay, now available in the NULISAseq Neuro 220 multiplexed panel kits, immediately deployable on the entire installed base of ARGO HT instruments, and as a single-plex assay through the company's Technology Access Program (TAP). The assay measures eMTBR-Tau, a plasma biomarker that specifically reflects tau tangle pathology and has demonstrated strong associations with cognitive decline, clinical disease staging, and therapeutic response monitoring for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
"eMTBR-Tau is emerging as one of the most important biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Yuling Luo, founder, chief executive officer and chair of Alamar Biosciences. "We believe the ability to measure tangle-specific tau pathology in combination with other neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation biomarkers from blood, with the sensitivity and specificity that NULISA provides, will open new possibilities in clinical research and clinical trials for disease staging, patient stratification, therapy response monitoring and, ultimately, for precision medicine."
A definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease requires evidence of two hallmark pathologies: amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles. Until recently, only one of these could be measured in blood: pTau-217, which serves as an indicator of amyloid pathology. However, a positive pTau-217 result alone is insufficient for a confirmatory diagnosis, as many individuals with amyloid accumulation have not yet developed tau tangles. Historically, measuring tau tangle burden required tau PET imaging, a method that is accurate but expensive and operationally complex.
Recent studies have shown that a blood-based eMTBR-tau243 assay, based on mass spectrometry, correlates strongly with tau tangle burden, making it a promising blood-based surrogate for tau PET imaging. Alamar's NULISA platform delivers a broadly accessible eMTBR-Tau assay that specifically targets the MTBR fragment that is generated by endogenous cleavage at site 256. The highly scalable assay measures eMTBR-Tau at attomolar sensitivity, multiplexed with other key neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation biomarkers from a single low volume sample. Beyond diagnosis, the close association between eMTBR-Tau levels and tau tangle burden may allow researchers to directly measure biological response to tau-targeted therapies and address a critical unmet need for a blood-based biomarker of treatment efficacy.
"eMTBR-Tau is a vital addition to the blood-based biomarker toolkit," said Dr. Nicholas Ashton, senior director of the Fluid Biomarker Laboratory at Banner Health. "The ability to easily measure tau tangle pathology from a blood draw enables better disease classification and staging and has the potential to be transformative to advancing the development of new therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease."
Alamar will showcase eMTBR-Tau data at its workshop at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2026 in London on Tuesday, July 14, where researchers will present performance results and clinical findings from studies using the NULISA platform. The workshop will include presentations covering the assay's analytical performance, correlation with tau PET imaging, and the ability to stratify patients across AD stages.
The NULISAseq Neuro 220 Panel with eMTBR-Tau is available now. Researchers interested in accessing single-plex eMTBR-Tau through TAP or for more information about Alamar's full portfolio of precision proteomic solutions, visit www.alamarbio.com.
About Alamar Biosciences
Alamar is a commercial-stage proteomics company establishing a gold standard in protein detection and analysis. Leveraging our proprietary NULISA technology and the ARGO HT System, our platform is designed to detect protein biomarkers at extremely low concentrations in blood with ultra-high sensitivity, high specificity, flexible multiplexing, broad dynamic range and seamless automation. We refer to this combination of features as "Precision Proteomics," and believe it fills a critical gap in the field of advanced proteomics, helping researchers unlock the full spectrum of protein biomarkers across disease states.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as "aims," "anticipates," "believes," "could," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "intends," "may," "plans," "possible," "potential," "seeks," "will" and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated benefits of Alamar Biosciences' eMTBR-Tau immunoassay and statements regarding eMTBR-Tau's significance in Alzheimer's disease research. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on Alamar Biosciences' current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Readers are cautioned that actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in Alamar Biosciences' forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to intense competition in the proteomics market, exposure to legal proceedings, regulatory inquiries and other legal matters, failure to develop new assays or instruments, dependence on researchers who rely heavily on government funding, reductions in spending by research and academic institutions, the potential for products to be subject to more onerous regulation by the FDA or other regulatory requirements, the complexity of manufacturing Alamar Biosciences' instruments and consumables, failure to obtain marketing authorizations for future products that are intended for clinical or diagnostic use, Alamar Biosciences' ability to protect its intellectual property, and the other risks described in Alamar Biosciences' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including those described from time to time under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in Alamar Biosciences' filings with the SEC, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 8, 2026. Alamar Biosciences explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.
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