Spear Bio Introduces New Ultra-Sensitive Neurodegenerative Assays and Expands Direct Access at AD/PD 2026
Published: 09 Apr 2026
Author: Towards Healthcare
Spear Bio is an innovator in ultrasensitive protein biomarker detection. International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PD 2026) last week. The product coincides with the company's newly established direct-to-customer operation in North America and Europe, which becomes an important step that will streamline access to its technology for laboratories investigating neurodegenerative proteinopathies.
First released SPEAR UltraDetect BD-pTau 217 Assay early adopters in the last month, remains the only brain-derived pTau 217 test to deliver 100% quantifiability in both healthy and diseased plasma samples. Operating in a homogeneous, wash-free format and requiring just 1 µL of diluted plasma, the assay achieves a functional lower limit of quantification of 25 fg/mL and an average intra-plate CV of 5.7%. These allow researchers and investigators to detect Alzheimer ’s-related tau changes at the preclinical stage while preserving precious sample volume for longitudinal studies.
According to Towards Healthcare, the qPCR instruments market is projected to experience significant growth, with estimates suggesting the market size will increase from USD 7.41 billion in 2026 to approximately USD 15.95 billion by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9% from 2026 to 2035. Growth is driven by rising demand in clinical and research settings with the adoption of molecular diagnostics, which include multiplexing capabilities and automation of the digital health ecosystem, and enhance workflow efficiency.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Spear Bio, Feng Xuan, said Our goal is to place the most sensitive protein biomarker tools in the hands of scientists tackling complex neurodegenerative diseases, empowering researchers to generate higher-quality data by expanding our assay portfolio and transitioning to direct customer engagement with greater efficiency and accelerating from discovery to clinical impact.
About Spear Bio
Spear Bio, headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts, is a biotechnology company pioneering wash-free ultrasensitive immunoassay technology. This platform delivers attomolar sensitivity from 1 µL of diluted sample and superior specificity of a homogeneous, wash-free format with readout on standard qPCR instruments.
It is built on an ultra-performance approach that integrates sensitivity, specificity, precision, and assay robustness. Spear Bio also enables researchers and clinicians to reveal true biology with confidence.
A recent report by Towards Healthcare highlights that the qPCR instruments market is witnessing growth due to widespread application of qPCR instruments in clinical diagnostics, genomic research, and oncology, with advanced automated and multiplexing capabilities with high throughput and real-time technology.