New blood testing technology for Alzheimer’s Bio-Hermes-002 study
A new collaboration brings the latest blood testing technology to an international trial aiming for earlier, simpler detection of Alzheimer’s.
The Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP; DC, USA) has announced a strategic partnership with biotechnology company Spear Bio (MA, USA) to support the Bio-Hermes-002 study, a large international research effort focused on improving Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Announced on January 12, 2026, the partnership brings Spear Bio’s ultrasensitive blood-testing technology into a study comparing blood-based and digital biomarkers across diverse populations in the US, UK and Canada.
Alzheimer’s can begin developing more than a decade before symptoms appear, yet current gold-standard diagnostic tools, such as specialized brain PET scans and lumbar punctures, are costly, invasive and rarely accessible. Researchers hope that simpler blood-based tests could close this gap, enabling earlier, more equitable diagnosis as new treatments emerge closer to clinical use.
Bio-Hermes-002 is an observational study involving around 1,000 volunteers over the age of 60, with the aim of evaluating how different biomarkers, including amyloid and tau proteins, correlate with established imaging and clinical assessments of Alzheimer’s. Spear Bio will contribute data using its SPEAR UltraDetectTM platform, an ultrasensitive, wash-free assay capable of detecting proteins from any blood samples, including finger-prick tests, with attomolar biomarker measurement from 1 uL of diluted sample.
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The study, led by GAP and LifeArc (London, UK) with support from the UK Dementia Research Institute (London, UK), prioritizes inclusion, with at least a quarter of participants drawn from under-represented groups. All data will be shared globally via the AD Workbench, a secure cloud-based research platform.
As Bio-Hermes-002 progresses towards completion in 2028, researchers hope for a future where Alzheimer’s risk is identified through simple blood tests, even at home. Such advances could accelerate clinical trials, reduce diagnostic delays and transform how dementia is detected and managed worldwide.
Further information on Bio-Hermes-002 partners:
Spear Bio is one of the newest additions to a group of industry leaders participating in this study, which includes Biogen (MA, USA), Eli Lilly and Company (IN, USA), IXICO (London, UK) and Roche (Basel, Switzerland). Bio-Hermes-002 continues to expand its roster of exceptional partners specializing in blood-based biomarker assessments and digital evaluations. The current list of partners features AINOSTICS (Manchester, UK), Alamar Biosciences, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (both CA, USA), Cambridge Cognition Limited (Cambridge, UK), Cognivue (NY, USA), Cumulus Neuroscience Limited (Belfast, Northern Ireland), Fujirebio (Tokyo, Japan), iLoF (Porto, Portugal), LifeArc, Linus Health (MA, USA), Lucent Diagnostics (MA, USA), Sunbird Bio (MA, USA), and ViewMind (NY, USA).
