Barcelona – September 19, 2025– ADmit Therapeutics S.L. today announced the publication of a blood biomarker in the journal iScience (Cell Press). The study details the fundamental research that led to the development of the Test MAP-AD®, a prognostic solution based on mitochondrial DNA methylation levels in blood that predicts progression to Alzheimer’s dementia in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
The research is the result of extensive international collaboration with prestigious medical and research centers in Spain, the United States, and Australia. Blood samples were analyzed from MCI patients and cognitively normal participants of the same age under an observational clinical study, led by the neurologist Jordi Gascón, Head of the Neurology Unit and Coordinator of the Memory Unit at the Bellvitge University Hospital, and co-founder of ADmit. The other participating centers were Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, the Consorcio Sanitari Integral, the CITA-Alzheimer Foundation, and the biorepositories of the University of Washington (Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center) and the Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle Study. This global effort highlights the rigor and high scientific standards applied, providing the necessary data to develop the Test MAP-AD®.
The MAP-AD® test addresses a key challenge: the uncertainty of the prognosis in MCI patients. “For years, we have been able to identify the underlying pathology, but we have had a hard time predicting the trajectory of cognitive decline. Having a reliable tool that predicts progression is a turning point. It will allow us to have more informed conversations with patients and their families and, more importantly, to guide us towards the appropriate interventions – whether for prevention, clinical trials, or the new emerging therapies – at a much earlier stage”, says neurologist Jordi Gascón, the first author of the scientific publication.
“The publication of our research in a journal that values cutting-edge innvoations like iScience is a proof of the potential of the Test MAP-AD®,” said Dr. Marta Barrachina, CEO and co-founder of ADmit Therapeutics. “This study not only positions us at the forefront, but also demonstrates how artificial intelligence and next generation sequencing can be combined with new blood-based biomarkers to create game-changing solutions for the prognosis of Alzheimer’s dementia”.
This peer reviewed publication is a fundamental step for the Test MAP-AD® to position itself as an essential tool in clinical practice globally.
Bibliographic reference
Gascon-Bayarri, J. et al. Mitochondrial methylcytosines as blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease dementia prognosis. iScience, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113418
