Blood immune 'fingerprint' may help predict serious side effects of new Alzheimer's drug

A team of University of Kentucky researchers has uncovered a surprising clue in the battle against Alzheimer's disease that could help doctors predict, and ultimately prevent, a common side effect of the newest generation of Alzheimer's therapies. Their findings, recently published in Nature Communications, reveal a distinct immune "fingerprint" in the blood of patients who develop amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) after treatment with lecanemab—the first Food and Drug Administration-approved drug shown to slow Alzheimer's disease progression.