New research laboratories focused on Alzheimer’s disease have opened at the Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Arizona. The labs aim to make testing for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases more accessible and affordable.
“These labs will serve as a destination center for researchers worldwide, accelerating the development of blood tests that can transform how we diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders,” said Nicholas Ashton, PhD, senior director of the Fluid Biomarker Program at the Institute. “Our goal is to make these tests as simple as a finger prick, bringing life-changing diagnostics from specialized research centers into communities everywhere.”
Currently, diagnosing Alzheimer’s often requires brain scans or spinal fluid tests that are invasive and costly. Blood-based biomarker tests developed in these new facilities could change detection methods for diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by offering simpler options.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Ashton and his research colleagues here in Arizona, such that they and their colleagues and collaborators have the chance to make a transformational difference in the scientific and clinical fight against Alzheimer’s and other age-related memory and movement disorders together,” said Eric Reiman, MD, chief executive officer of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and Banner Sun Health Research Institute.
The Michael T. Zuendel Family Biofluid Lab and the Kuhle Family Biomarker Discovery Lab are among few sites globally where both blood test biomarkers and cerebrospinal fluid assays are engineered for wide use. Led by Dr. Ashton, who previously contributed to biofluid research at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg, the Fluid Biomarker Program supports early detection of neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders through biological marker discovery to clinical implementation.
The labs were established with $1 million contributions each from two families to the Banner Alzheimer’s Foundation in 2025. The Michael T. Zuendel Family Biofluid Lab focuses on scalable blood and CSF biomarker assays for comparing emerging diagnostic tests’ accuracy. The Kuhle Family Biomarker Discovery Lab works on discovering new biomarkers and developing pinprick “plasma spot” assays.
Among their objectives is creating blood tests for Lewy body disease and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which affects individuals with repeated head injuries.
Banner Sun Health Research Institute has been involved nationally in studying aging-related conditions since 1986 as part of nonprofit Banner Health. The organization is based in Arizona but operates health services including hospitals, insurance plans, urgent care centers, virtual visits across several states such as California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, Wyoming according to its official website. Banner Health emphasizes community benefits through its nonprofit work and aims to improve health care accessibility.
More information about ongoing projects can be found at bannershri.com or via Facebook.
