Pascoal Lab

Lab based at University of Pittsburgh interested in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in neurodegeneration | PI: @TharickAPascoal

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

We are pleased to announce the publication of top-line results from our HEAD study, on the comparison of tau PET tracers for the detection of tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease, out now online in The Lancet.

We are grateful to our collaborators on this work, and we look forward to continuing the dissemination of our findings from this large-scale PET comparison study.

https://t.co/iNYnsMORE0

[Guilherme Povala @guilhermepovala]

In cognitively unimpaired Aβ+ adults, MK6240 detected medial temporal tau in 39% of participants vs 16% with flortaucipir. That's a prevalence ratio of 2.43, which translates to 23 additional cognitively unimpaired Aβ+ individuals identified as tau-positive per 100 scanned.

[Guilherme Povala @guilhermepovala]

MK6240 was significantly better at distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from non-Alzheimer's causes of impairment. AUC 0.93 vs 0.86 for Flortaucipir. Differences were largest in the medial temporal lobe, where early tau accumulates first.

[Guilherme Povala @guilhermepovala]

Tau PET is central to Alzheimer's diagnosis and trial selection. But does tracer choice matter? The HEAD study set out to answer that. 682 participants, both Flortaucipir and MK6240, across the Alzheimer's spectrum. Out today in @TheLancet.

Article link: https://t.co/BUCVevtJJ0

[Karikari Lab @kkarilab]

🧠 New paper out in Nature Communications from the Karikari Lab @PittPsychiatry!

Led by Dr. @TommyKakari, our team,@Yijun8643878478 , Xuemei Zeng & Anirudh Sehrawat, plus Pitt collaborators Drs. Kang, Pascoal, Villemagne & Cohen, developed the streamlined PAβ V2.0 assay: faster, lower-volume & more accurate blood-based Alzheimer's biomarker detection. 🎉

📖 https://t.co/MYhM7j1VTR

#AlzheimersResearch #Biomarkers #NatureCommunications

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

We are thrilled that Dr. Pascoal was honored with the prestigious A.E. Bennett Award by the Society of Biological Psychiatry for his outstanding clinical contributions!

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

When focusing on individuals with intermediate Aβ levels, effect sizes increase and required sample sizes drop in both cognitively unimpaired and impaired groups—substantially reducing trial costs. These results support plasma p-tau217 as an efficient endpoint for AD trials.

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

Led by @pamlukasewicz, this multi-cohort study shows that longitudinal changes in plasma p-tau217 represent a robust endpoint for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials.
https://t.co/Fmyd7mBhHB

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

We were very happy to receive Etienne Vachon-Presseau @evp82, Associate Professor at McGill, for a lab visit today! Etienne presented findings from analysis of UK Biobank data on prediction of chronic pain, including results from his group's recent papers (https://t.co/ZZuGrHDeSO).

Thank you for the visit, Etienne!

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

📌 Implication: Clinical trials targeting neuroinflammation in AD could benefit from stageing participants by Aβ and tau status as inflammation can lead to opposite effects depending on the disease stage.

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

In our new paper, we show that neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s follows a two-wave pattern of harmful effects:
1️⃣ First wave: triggered by amyloid-β (Aβ)
2️⃣ Second wave: driven by widespread tau pathology
📄 https://t.co/3pHhKzBfjz

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

Importantly, neuroinflammation alone did not predict degeneration. Its detrimental effects appeared only in the presence of Aβ or tau pathology, suggesting a context-dependent role.

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

A huge thank you to all our incredible collaborators:
@BellaverBruna @Pamlukasewicz @guilhermepovala @firoza_lussier @gbnegrini @FrancieliRohden @crisaguzzoli @kkarilab @erzimmer, as well as teams from WRAP and Gothenburg, plus the reviewers and participants! 🙏

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

In our new study @NatureComms, Dr Soares et al show that CSF total tau, often used as a marker of neurodegeneration, is more strongly linked to synaptic degeneration than axonal or neuronal loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
Check our paper here🔗https://t.co/AP74CkgmsX

[Joseph Therriault @JosephTherr]

I also want to thank all the co-authors!

[Joseph Therriault @JosephTherr]

I’m proud to share our systematic review & meta-analysis of plasma p-tau diagnostic accuracy studies :)
https://t.co/zXOs1Yu6uF
Some highlights:

[The Lancet Healthy Longevity @LancetLongevity]

Paper 4: Insights into the use of biomarkers in clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease by
@TharickAPascoal and colleagues: https://t.co/JYSzZwf9Va

[Pascoal Lab @LabPascoal]

👇

[The Lancet Healthy Longevity @LancetLongevity]

Paper 4: Insights into the use of biomarkers in clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease by
@TharickAPascoal and colleagues: https://t.co/JYSzZwf9Va