Tracking lecanemab's effect on Alzheimer's just got more interesting. A new real-world study of nearly 200 patients identified 34 blood proteins that shift significantly during lecanemab treatment, offering a potential window into how the brain responds to amyloid clearance. Researchers caution the findings are early-stage and not yet ready for clinical use, but they mark a promising step toward a blood-based monitoring test.
Right now, clinicians have almost no way to know if lecanemab is clearing amyloid plaques in any individual Alzheimer's patient — short of an expensive, radiation-involving PET scan. A new real-world study published in The Lancet Neurology is trying to change that. Researchers analyzed 130 blood proteins in nearly 200 patients receiving lecanemab infusions over up to two years, identifying 34 proteins that changed significantly with treatment.
Of those, 13 proteins — including phosphorylated tau (p-tau) and GFAP — moved toward levels seen in cognitively healthy adults, while 10 "overcorrected" past healthy levels, and 11 moved further away. Inflammatory markers like TREM2 rose during treatment, which researchers believe reflects the brain's immune system mobilizing to clear plaques — not a sign of harm.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: A validated blood test for monitoring lecanemab's effectiveness could reduce reliance on costly PET scans and help clinicians better counsel patients — but researchers say clinical-grade validation is still years away.
