Labcorp announced the availability of the nation's first test for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a critical blood-based biomarker for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases and neurological injuries. The new GFAP test ? a first-of-its-kind test to be offered commercially nationwide ?

offers physicians a more efficient pathway to assess the presence and progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, glioblastoma and injuries like traumatic brain injury (TBI). The biomarker test also expands on Labcorp's comprehensive neurology portfolio, which includes biomarker tests for neurofilament light chain (NfL), pTau181, pTau217 and beta amyloid 42/40. The GFAP test utilizes highly sensitive immunoassay technology to measure the presence of GFAP from a simple blood draw, which can be conducted in hospitals, a physician's office or any of Labcorp's more than 2,000 patient service centers across the country.

GFAP typically exists in the brain's support cells, known as astrocytes. In the context of neurodegenerative disease or injury, astrocytes release GFAP into the blood, allowing brain injury and disease to be assessed through a simple blood draw. GFAP has been widely studied as a valuable early-stage indicator of neurological damage.