Latest guidelines from Alzheimer´s Association and National Institute of aging (NIA) ³ proposed a biological definition of AD based only in biomarkers, where a patient will be placed within the “AD continuum” depending on the results of tests that measure the brain accumulation of Aβ peptide, Tau and neurodegeneration. Accurate tests for these biomarkers are available, but they require invasive or expensive techniques which cannot be prescribed to all patients and are not available in all medical centers. Therefore, there is a demand for cost-effective and non-invasive tests that can reflect the alteration of those biomarkers.

According to the last report from the Alzheimer´s Association, it is the most common cause of dementia (accounting for 60–80% of cases). AD currently affects up to 37 million people worldwide, a number expected to rise to 131 million by 2050.

AD is not a consequence of normal aging. Many experts believe that the underlying pathological processes may begin 20 years or more before the first symptoms are evident, suggesting that early detection will be key to preventing, slowing, and ultimately stopping this disease.

Currently, only 45% of AD patients are accurately diagnosed, due in part to a lack of awareness about AD, which many consider a “natural disease”, as well as the absence of standardized diagnostic tests.

Moreover, AD and dementia have a massive economic impact in terms of medical costs and patient care. The total estimated worldwide cost of dementia in 2015 was $818 billion. Thus, if global dementia care were a country, it would be the 18th largest economy in the world¹.