Spear Bio showcases novel Alzheimer’s disease immunoassays and fully automated instrument platform at AAIC 2026
Launches include the first commercially available singleplex eMTBR-Tau immunoassay, a novel pTau 217 assay for venous and capillary blood, and a fully automated instrument platform
13 Jul 2026Product news
At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026, taking place July 12–15 in London, UK, Spear Bio will exhibit at booth 322 and unveil a singleplex eMTBR-Tau immunoassay, and a fully automated instrument platform to fully automate SPEAR workflows.
Together, these innovations expand Spear Bio’s Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegenerative biomarker portfolio, giving scientists new tools to investigate both amyloid-associated tau phosphorylation and tau tangle pathology from ultra-low sample volumes.
Designed as a standalone singleplex assay, the SPEAR eMTBR-Tau immunoassay provides researchers a focused and quantitative approach to measuring tau tangle-associated biology while maintaining the ultra-low sample volume and simplified workflow advantages of SPEAR technology.
SPEAR epTau 217 complements this approach by enabling consistent pTau 217 measurement across venous and capillary blood, supporting broader investigation of amyloid-associated tau phosphorylation in Alzheimer’s disease research.
Both assays are built on Spear Bio’s proprietary Successive Proximity Extension Amplification Reaction technology, which combines attomolar sensitivity with a homogeneous, wash-free workflow.
Requiring just 1 µL of diluted plasma, SPEAR immunoassays help researchers preserve precious biospecimens while generating high-quality biomarker data across Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegeneration, and preclinical research.
The new instrument platform is designed to fully automate SPEAR workflows from sample to qPCR-ready plate, reducing manual handling and supporting more consistent execution of ultrasensitive biomarker assays.
The system represents an important step in making SPEAR technology easier to adopt, scale, and integrate into research and clinical development laboratory workflows.
“Our focus is on building innovations that help researchers answer questions that were previously difficult to address with conventional protein biomarker tools,” said Feng Xuan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spear Bio.
“As the field advances from biomarker discovery toward broader validation, vigorously verified assays become essential to generating reliable, reproducible insights. By bringing together novel biomarker content, enabled by SPEAR’s ultra-sensitivity and performance required for biomarker validation, we are providing researchers with a platform to measure complex Alzheimer’s disease biology and support the next stage of neurodegenerative disease research.”
Spear Bio at at AAIC 2026
Spear Bio will present new data across Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegeneration, synucleinopathy, and TDP-43 proteinopathy.
Product theater presentation
- Introducing SPEAR epTau 217 and eMTBR-Tau: Dissecting Alzheimer’s Pathologies from Early Tau Phosphorylation to Tau Tangle
Presenters: Dr. Nicholas Ashton, Senior Director, Fluid Biomarker Program, Banner Health and Dr. Tracy Liu Director, Product Management, Spear Bio
Wednesday, July 15, 10:30– 11:00 BST.
Poster presentations
- SPEAR UltraDetect™ BD-pTau 217 Assay for Reliable Amyloid Pathology Discrimination
Sunday, July 12, 7:30– 16:15 BST - SPEAR UltraDetect™ Mouse NF-L and pTau 217 Assays for Ultra-Sensitive Biomarker Studies in Mouse Models
Monday, July 13, 7:30– 16:15 BST - SPEAR UltraDetect™ Assays for Ultra-Sensitive Detection of α-Syn and pS129-α-Syn in Biofluids and Extracellular Vesicles
Tuesday, July 14, 7:30– 16:15 BST - SPEAR UltraDetect™ Assays Enable Robust Quantification of Total and Phosphorylated TDP-43 in Plasma
Wednesday, July 15, 7:30– 16:15 BST
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Frequently asked questions
What Alzheimer’s disease biomarker innovations is Spear Bio showcasing at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2026 in London?
Spear Bio will exhibit at booth 322 at AAIC 2026 in London, UK, from July 12–15. The company is launching the first commercially available singleplex immunoassay for eMTBR-Tau, a novel epTau 217 assay for measuring pTau 217 in venous and capillary blood, and a new instrument platform that fully automates SPEAR workflows from sample to qPCR-ready plate.
How do SPEAR eMTBR-Tau and epTau 217 immunoassays advance Alzheimer’s and neurodegeneration biomarker research?
The standalone SPEAR eMTBR-Tau immunoassay quantifies tau tangle-associated biology using ultra-low sample volumes. SPEAR epTau 217 enables consistent pTau 217 measurement across venous and capillary blood, supporting investigation of amyloid-associated tau phosphorylation. Both assays use Successive Proximity Extension Amplification Reaction technology, offering attomolar sensitivity, a homogeneous wash-free workflow, and requiring just 1 µL of diluted plasma for Alzheimer’s and neurodegeneration studies.
What SPEAR UltraDetect assays and presentations will Spear Bio feature for neurodegenerative disease research at AAIC 2026?
Spear Bio will present a Product Theater session on SPEAR epTau 217 and eMTBR-Tau on Wednesday, July 15, 10:30–11:00 BST. Poster sessions will highlight SPEAR UltraDetect™ BD-pTau 217 for amyloid pathology discrimination, mouse NF-L and pTau 217 assays, α-Syn and pS129-α-Syn detection in biofluids and extracellular vesicles, and assays for total and phosphorylated TDP-43 quantification in plasma.