About the Lab
The Karikari Lab is situated at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospitals, right in the heart of Pittsburgh’s healthcare corridor. Under the leadership of Thomas K. Karikari, Ph.D., a global expert in fluid biomarker assay development and validation, the lab is supported by a multidisciplinary team with a wide range of expertise. It encompasses ample laboratory space and advanced instrumentation to facilitate cutting-edge immunoassays and mass spectrometry experiments.
Our lab’s primary focus is advancing biomarker research for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease-related dementia (ADRD). We are particularly interested in developing and applying blood-based biomarker assays to detect toxic protein aggregates that contribute to neurodegenerative disorders. We have developed highly sensitive blood biomarkers for amyloid beta peptides and various forms of tau (phosphorylated-tau and brain-derived tau). In collaboration with clinical teams, we have applied these biomarkers to numerous clinical cohorts to evaluate their effectiveness in predicting AD pathologies. Our mission is to provide readily available tools for AD diagnosis and prognosis to a wide range of populations, including minoritized and low-income groups.
We welcome collaborative opportunities to further explore these advancements and extend their applications. Engaging with us offers a chance to contribute to transformative research and improve global healthcare outcomes. For collaboration inquiries and to learn more about our groundbreaking work, please contact us.
Recent Publications
Proteome-wide analysis identifies plasma immune regulators of amyloid-beta progression.
Duggan MR, Gomez GT, Joynes CM, Bilgel M, Chen J, Fattorelli N, Hohman TJ, Mancuso R, Cordon J, Castellano T, Koran MEI, Candia J, Lewis A, Moghekar A, Ashton NJ, Kac PR, Karikari TK, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Martinez-Muriana A, De Strooper B, Thambisetty M, Ferrucci...
Plasma neurofilament light, glial fibrillary acid protein, and phosphorylated tau 181 as biomarkers for neuropsychiatric symptoms and related clinical disease progression.
Rabl M, Zullo L, Lewczuk P, Kornhuber J, Karikari TK, Blennow K, Zetterberg H, Bavato F, Quednow BB, Seifritz E, von Gunten A, Clark C, Popp J. Alzheimers Res Ther. 2024 Jul 25;16(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s13195-024-01526-4.
Plasma Brain-Derived Tau in Prognosis of Large Vessel Occlusion Ischemic Stroke.
Varela R, Gonzalez-Ortiz F, Dias A, Knuth NL, Fonte J, Pinto B, Yuksekel I, Abreu V, Silva I, Igreja L, Lopes J, Silva J, Dias R, Filipe JP, Malaquias MJ, Moutinho A, Gabriel D, Aires A, Antunes R, Rocha JP, Felgueiras R, Almendra R, Castro P, Zetterberg H, Magalhães...
News
Could a handheld device help catch Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s early?
By Hannah Flynn | Medical News Today There is still research to be done into the best type of biomarkers to detect Alzheimer’s disease in different types of body fluid, said Dr. Thomas K Karikari, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, who...
Can Alzheimer’s be detected with a blood test? These Pitt scientists say it may help identify patients for a new drug.
By Tom Avril | The Philadelphia Inquirer The FDA may approve a new drug for Alzheimer’s as soon as this week. But policy experts warn that the health care system is ill-equipped to identify which patients might be eligible for the drug, called lecanemab, as the...
Two New Ways to Detect Alzheimer’s From Blood Samples
By Carmen Leitch, Short-epitope Mapping | LabRoots Right now, there are no blood tests that can reliably diagnose Alzheimer's disease on their own. Most people only get diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder after symptoms like memory loss arise, or expensive...