There are new blood tests for Alzheimer’s. Should I have one?

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Aug 04, 2026 · 975 words · By Joyce Siette

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What to know about There are new blood tests for Alzheimer’s. Should I have one?

The article explains the emergence of blood biomarker tests for Alzheimer's disease in Australia, detailing how they work and their role in clinical diagnosis. It clarifies that these tests are not yet routine screening tools for healthy adults and discusses the implications for diagnosis and treatment costs.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Australians have seen a flurry of headlines announcing the arrival of blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease.

Why it matters

The news follows the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approval of new blood tests for clinical use and the launch of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) in Sydney.

Common ground

These developments promise earlier, simpler and more accessible testing for Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: There are new blood tests for Alzheimer’s. Should I have one??
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that A third blood test looks for the APOE ε4 gene variant?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/there-are-new-blood-tests-for-alzheimers-should-i-ha…

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 100%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified 2

info Single Source 1

schedule Pending 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified

Claim 1: “A third blood test looks for the APOE ε4 gene variant.”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly mention a blood test that looks for the APOE ε4 gene variant, though they note it is a risk factor test rather than a diagnostic test.

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web search NEUTRAL — APOE-ε4 is a variant of the APOE gene that affects how the body processes fats and cholesterol in the brain, and it's the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease. You ca…
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/11-year-study-links-t…

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web search NEUTRAL — There is no single blood test for Alzheimer’s. Rather, these tests look for biomarkers – biological signs that Alzheimer’s may be present in the brain.A third blood test looks for the APOE ε4 gene var…
https://theconversation.com/there-are-new-blood-tests-for-al…

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web search NEUTRAL — A blood test that works earlier could help researchers identify people at higher risk, test prevention strategies sooner, and identify high-risk participants for prevention trials without relying on m…
https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/diseases-medicine/a-bloo…

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Claim 2: “Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia”

CORROBORATED

Four independent cross-references (EuroNews and multiple NY Post reports) consistently state that Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia
https://www.euronews.com/health/2026/06/02/a-blood-test-coul…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — The age difference link was more pronounced with regards to vascular dementia, which specifically affects thinking skills as the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer’s disease.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/13/health/blood-test-may-predict-…

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cross reference SUPPORTS — About half of participants in both groups carried the APOE ε4 gene, which is linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease — the most common form of dementia.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/health/this-popular-brain-heal…

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 3: “confirming Alzheimer’s usually required either specialised brain imaging (known as amyloid PET scans) or a lumbar puncture to examine proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for this claim only discuss the grammar and spelling of the word 'until' and do not provide any medical information regarding Alzheimer's diagnostic procedures.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 13, 2026 · Confused about until or untill? Learn the correct spelling, meaning, examples & grammar rules in this simple guide. Includes a quick comparison table and tips to avoid mistakes.
https://thoughtgenic.com/until-or-untill/

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web search NEUTRAL — Many assume that till is an abbreviated form of until. In fact, it is a distinct word that existed in English at least a century before until, both as a preposition meaning “to” and as a conjunction m…
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/until

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web search NEUTRAL — Both ’till’ and ‘until’ signify the same thing. Use any one of these terms interchangeably and synonymously with the other. The only thing that differentiates the first one from the second is that the…
https://grammarbrain.com/till-vs-until/

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Claim 4: “the launch of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) in Sydney”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources from NeuRA and a news report confirm the launch of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis at NeuRA in Sydney.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science International Awards, created in 1998, aim to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Oréal-UNESCO_For_Women_in_Sc…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Reverend Doctor William Lee Bradley (September 6, 1918 – April 29, 2007, born in Oakland, California), was a scholar of comparative religion, ethics, and theology, as well as a philanthropist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lee_Bradley

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approval of new blood tests for clinical use”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results explicitly state that Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved a new blood test for detecting Alzheimer's disease.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 is a piece of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament which aims to regulate therapeutic goods. The Act is administered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_Goods_Act_1989

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is the medicine and therapeutic regulatory agency of the Australian Government. As part of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the TGA regulates…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_Goods_Administrati…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yunnan Baiyao (or Yunnan Paiyao; simplified Chinese: 云南白药; traditional Chinese: 雲南白藥; pinyin: Yúnnán Báiyào; lit. 'Yunnan White Drug') is a proprietary traditional Chinese medicine marketed and used a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yunnan_Baiyao

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “the Medicare Benefits Schedule provides a subsidy [for PET scans]”

VERIFIED

A web search result specifically mentions that the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) provides a subsidy for PET scans, and Wikipedia confirms the Medicare system is the national funding model for health care in Australia.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Health care in Australia operates under a shared public-private model underpinned by the Medicare system, the national single-payer funding model. State and territory governments operate public health…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Medicare is the publicly-funded universal health insurance scheme in Australia. The program is managed by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, while Services Australia is responsible for c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_(Australia)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Medicare is a federal health insurance program in the United States for people age 65 or older and younger people with disabilities, including those with end stage renal disease and amyotrophic latera…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_(United_States)

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 7: “These tests are not currently funded through Medicare.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 8: “Treatments such as lecanemab and donanemab can modestly slow cognitive decline in carefully selected people with early Alzheimer’s.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to evaluate the efficacy of lecanemab and donanemab.

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Claim 9: “The test attracting the greatest attention detects a protein called phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217).”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (AOL, AAIC, LinkedIn) confirm the existence of a blood test that detects the phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217) protein to predict or detect Alzheimer's.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dementia is a syndrome, often associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, and characterized by a general decline in cognitive processes that affects the ability to perform everyday…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog) is a brief neuropsychological assessment used to assess the severity of cognitive symptoms of dementia. It is one of the most wid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ADAS-Cog

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cholinergic agents are compounds which mimic the action of acetylcholine and/or butyrylcholine. In general, the word "choline" describes the various quaternary ammonium salts containing the N,N,N-trim…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholinergic

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Another biomarker, pTau181, also detects an abnormal form of the tau protein.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that pTau181 is a biomarker used to detect abnormal tau protein associated with Alzheimer's disease.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Early-onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD), also called younger-onset Alzheimer's disease (YOAD), is Alzheimer's disease diagnosed before the age of 65. It is an uncommon form of Alzheimer's, accounting f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early-onset_Alzheimer's_diseas…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for around 60–70% of cases. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering rece…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer's_disease

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alois Alzheimer ( AHLTS-hy-mər, German: [ˈaːlɔɪs ˈʔaltshaɪmɐ]; 14 June 1864 – 19 December 1915) was a German psychiatrist, neuropathologist and colleague of Emil Kraepelin. He is credited with identif…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alois_Alzheimer

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “[The APOE ε4 gene variant] identifies the strongest known inherited genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources identify the APOE ε4 variant as the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

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web search NEUTRAL — Apolipoprotein E, or APOE, is a gene that comes in several forms, or alleles: APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4. Everyone carries 2 copies of this gene, one from each of their biological parents. Which APOE typ…
https://www.questdiagnostics.com/our-company/actions-insight…

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web search NEUTRAL — Apolipoprotein E (Apo-E) is a protein involved in the transport of fats in the body of mammals. A subtype is implicated in Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular diseases. [5] It is encoded in humans …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apolipoprotein_E

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 21, 2024 · The APOE gene test is a helpful tool to identify your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Learn more here.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/apoe-gene-…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.