
Quanterix Enhances Alzheimer’s Offering With License to Johnson & Johnson’s p-Tau 217 Antibodies
Quanterix Corporation known for its Simoa system for ultra-sensitive research products has signed a license agreement with Janssen Sciences Ireland UC, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) on Alzheimer antibody research. Under this agreement, Quanterix will gain worldwide, non-exclusive rights to J&J’s extensively researched p-Tau 217 antibodies and assay designs for potential use in clinical research and diagnostic products. The license agreement enables Quanterix to produce Simoa p-Tau 217 research-use only (RUO) assay kits based on J&J-developed technology for global distribution. Additionally, Quanterix will introduce a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) utilizing the J&J p-Tau 217 antibodies and assay through Accelerator, available under the Lucent Diagnostics brand. Studies have shown that p-Tau 217 is highly correlated with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging for brain amyloid plaques in pre-clinical patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
In July, Quanterix launched the LucentAD test through Quanterix’s Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) laboratory. At the time, the test focused on the measurement of an isoform of phosphorylated tau protein, specifically phosphorylated at the 181 residue of the protein (p-Tau 181), present in plasma. Its concentration in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid has been found to be positively associated with amyloid pathology in the brain, a defining characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
The use of p-Tau 217 as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease has gained prominence due to its high clinical sensitivity and specificity when detected in blood. Access to highly sensitive and specific blood-based biomarker tests can potentially enhance early Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis, making treatments more widely available. Currently, Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis relies on expensive methods such as positron emission tomography (PET) or lumbar punctures for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers, which are invasive and lack broad accessibility. The emergence of high-performance blood-based biomarker tests could offer a less invasive and more cost-effective alternative for patient care.
Masoud Toloue, CEO of Quanterix, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, stating, “This collaboration demonstrates the scientific advances that are possible when Simoa’s ultra-sensitive detection is combined with clinically validated antibodies and critical reagents. Providing access to high-performing blood-based p-Tau 217 assays is an important step as we work with several partners to build the global infrastructure for non-invasive testing of Alzheimer’s Disease.” This partnership represents a notable advancement in the field of Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis and treatment, potentially paving the way for scalable immunoassay-based p-Tau 217 tests to become widely accessible to researchers and clinicians.