BrightFocus-Supported C2N Diagnostics Receives Transformative Follow-On Funding to Expand Access to Alzheimer’s Blood Test

The company behind the first-of-its-kind blood-based screening test for Alzheimer’s disease—rooted in pivotal early BrightFocus support—has received a $15 million investment that will broaden access to the blood test for patients and doctors. 

C₂N Diagnostics, LLC, announced Monday that Eisai has invested up to $15 million in the company. The funding will catalyze C₂N’s efforts to expand the availability, accessibility, and use of high-performance blood biomarker tests for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S., according to a press release.  These tests aim to help healthcare providers determine Alzheimer’s disease pathology and aid in medical management and treatment decisions. 

Early BrightFocus Support Pivotal to Development, Commercial Launch of Blood Test

C₂N was co-founded by longtime collaborators Randall Bateman, MD, and David Holtzman, MD, both at Washington University in St. Louis. 

The recipient of multiple Alzheimer’s Disease Research grants, Dr. Bateman pioneered techniques for measuring and tracking tau deposits and amyloid plaque load in the brain. In 2007, he teamed up with his mentor, Dr. Holtzman, to co-found the biotech firm C₂N Diagnostics. Almost a decade later, C₂N scientists Philip Verghese, PhD, and Joel Braunstein, MD, MBA, received a $750,000 grant from Alzheimer’s Disease Research in 2016 to commercially develop its PrecivityAD blood test.  

In 2019, PrecivityAD received FDA "Breakthrough Device" designation, and in late 2020, became the first Alzheimer’s blood test commercially available for use in routine clinical care. The latest version, PrecivityAD₂™, measures the presence or absence of beta-amyloid and tau in the brain, early markers of Alzheimer’s disease, facilitating a more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in its earlier stages at a lower cost to patients.  

Sowing the Seeds of Scientific Progress 

BrightFocus’ funding philosophy is to invest in high-risk, high-reward projects with the greatest promise to change a disease’s trajectory.  

Most researchers who receive early support from BrightFocus go on to receive government and industry grants that are, on average, 10 times larger than the original BrightFocus award. This return on investment is a powerful affirmation of the BrightFocus commitment to identify and support early the most promising scientists and their bold ideas. 

“The success story of C₂N and its PrecivityAD blood test underscores the importance of investing in promising scientific ideas early on,” said BrightFocus President and CEO Stacy Pagos Haller. “Thanks to the support and commitment of our donors, we are making strides toward a future where Alzheimer’s disease can be detected and treated earlier and more affordably."

In 2022, BrightFocus honored Dr. Holtzman with its Scientific Impact Award for his work setting the foundation for the first blood-based test for Alzheimer’s. He serves as the chair of Alzheimer’s Disease Research’s Scientific Review Committee, which recommends new research opportunities for BrightFocus to advance its goal of defeating Alzheimer’s disease.  

Read more: 

• “Next-Generation” Alzheimer’s Blood Test Announced, Rooted in Early BrightFocus Funding 

• Alzheimer’s Blood Tests: What You Need to Know in 2023 

• BrightFocus an Early Supporter of “Game Changing” Alzheimer’s Disease Blood Test 

About BrightFocus Foundation 

BrightFocus Foundation is a premier global nonprofit funder of research to defeat Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Through its flagship research programs — Alzheimer’s Disease Research, National Glaucoma Research, and Macular Degeneration Research — the Foundation has awarded nearly $290 million in groundbreaking research funding over the past 50 years and shares the latest research findings, expert information, and resources to empower the millions impacted by these devastating diseases. Learn more at brightfocus.org.