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Neurogen Biomarking is expanding its home-based Alzheimer’s testing model through a partnership with Tasso, which will supply its needle-free blood collection devices for use across Neurogen’s diagnostic workflow.
The agreement brings Tasso’s at-home sampling technology into Neurogen’s broader brain-health ecosystem, which aims to make biomarker testing more accessible for individuals experiencing memory concerns.
Neurogen’s platform combines a blood-based biomarker test with a digital cognitive assessment, enabling early identification of individuals at higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Licensed specialists visit patients at home to collect samples using both the Tasso+ device and a traditional draw, with analysis performed in certified laboratories.
Results are delivered through telehealth consultations with board-certified neurologists, who provide guidance on next steps in care.
A study led by Neurogen Chief Scientific Officer Elisabeth Thijssen found samples collected with Tasso’s device were suitable for Alzheimer’s biomarker analysis and showed a correlation with venipuncture-based results.
The findings also highlight the potential for Neurogen’s end-to-end model – combining in-home collection, digital assessment and virtual neurology review – to reduce delays in cognitive-health evaluation. Neurogen said additional research with Tasso’s tools is underway as part of efforts to scale the platform.
Neurogen’s at-home testing platform, currently in beta, aims to shorten the diagnostic process from five to seven years down to five to seven months.
"Increasingly, people are looking for ways to receive healthcare from home," Erwin Berthier, cofounder and chief technology officer of Tasso, told MobiHealthNews. "For older adults or individuals with mobility challenges, cognitive concerns or limited transportation, traveling to a clinic for a blood draw can be a significant barrier to getting timely care."
He added that when the logistical and physical burdens of blood collection are reduced, more individuals can participate in testing that may otherwise have been difficult to access.
Berthier said geography remains one of the biggest barriers to specialty care in the U.S. Many rural and underserved communities lack local neurologists, and patients often travel hours for an evaluation.
"For older adults or individuals with mobility or cognitive challenges, that burden can be physically, financially and emotionally overwhelming, leading many to delay or forgo care," he said.
"This model supports broader access and improves equity in cognitive-health evaluation," Berthier said.
Rany Aburashed, CEO and founder of Neurogen, told MobiHealthNews the goal is to reach rural America and inner city America and be sure that Alzheimer’s care is proactive and not reactive.
"I founded Neurogen to make that paradigm shift so people can gain answers to their memory concerns before they become significant," said Aburashed.
"Most patients enter the system far too late, after years of uncertainty and missed opportunities for intervention and that’s tragic."
Aburashed argues that the company’s Alzheimer’s detection ecosystem opens the door to treatments, research opportunities and better long-term planning that were previously out of reach.
"For health systems, this shift requires new planning models – from expanded neurology capacity to streamlined triage workflows for earlier-stage patients," Aburashed said.
