EXPRESS: Brain-derived tau: a promising biomarker for acute ischemic stroke

Blood biomarkers for ischemic stroke have long been sought to complement imaging-based assessments of brain injury, but clinically useful markers with sufficient sensitivity and specificity remain limited. A recent study by Vlegels et al. suggests that plasma brain-derived tau (BD-tau) may serve as a robust biomarker for assessing brain injury severity, infarct progression, and treatment response in acute ischemic stroke. These findings broaden the translational potential of BD-tau beyond neurodegenerative disease and support its future development for stroke monitoring and clinical trials.