New dementia blood test could be on NHS in five years

A nationwide clinical trial for blood tests to diagnose dementia has enrolled its first participants, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. Designed to “revolutionise how dementia is diagnosed,” the trial is now under way and could be available on the NHS within five years. The charity added we could see the “blood tests to the NHS within five years” which would “be used in the NHS to improve diagnosis of dementia.”

The charity announced that the Blood Biomarker Challenge aims to bring dementia blood tests to the NHS by building on recent breakthroughs. Researchers will gather the necessary evidence to support their use in improving dementia diagnosis. This multi-million-pound initiative is a collaborative effort involving Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Gates Ventures, and players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

Professor Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia, but a third of these have not received a diagnosis. This is despite us knowing that an early and accurate diagnosis is key to ensuring everyone has access to the treatment, care and support they deserve.

“Blood testing offers the potential to revolutionise dementia diagnosis in the future, so it’s incredibly exciting to see this project coming to life. I’ve spent decades working in science and the NHS, and it really does feel like we’re making progress in the way we treat dementia in this country but we can only treat people once they have that all-important diagnosis. This crucial bit of research is getting us closer than we’ve ever been before.”

Where is the study taking place?

The REAl World Dementia OUTcomes (READ-OUT) team at Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) are pary of this Challenge and are all based at the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. Its participants are being seen at the Warneford Hospital in Oxford, led by Professor Vanessa Raymont, Professor James Rowe and Dr Ivan Koychev with DPUK researchers.

What are the experts looking at?

The team will look at new and existing blood tests, looking at a range of dementia types including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Using the blood test, they will see if the test can detect a range of dementia types.

At present, they are set to hire more than 3,100 people from 28 DPUK sites across all four nations with participants being recruited through NHS memory clinics and community buses across the UK. This clinical trial will aim to see whether the blood test could make its way to the NHS.

What do the experts say?

Professor Vanessa Raymont, Associate Director, Dementias Platform UK and Senior Clinical Researcher, University of Oxford, said: “We’re in an incredibly exciting time for dementia research right now, with new drugs that can slow early Alzheimer’s disease.

“Although these are not yet approved for use in the NHS, we urgently need to revolutionise the way we diagnose people in this country – it will be nothing short of disastrous if people are unable to get a diagnosis early enough to benefit from the new drugs, once they do become available. In addition, many people now want and need the more accurate diagnosis blood biomarkers could provide.”

Raymont explains that a key aspect of their research is evaluating how blood tests perform across different UK populations and identifying any factors that may influence the results. By examining a variety of blood tests, they aim to recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds to ensure the test is effective for everyone, including those from minority ethnic groups, the very elderly, and individuals with other medical conditions.

Test for Alzheimer’s

There is a second team in the Blood Biomarker Challenge which is being led by Professor Jonathan Schott and Doctor Ashvini Keshavan at University College London. The ADAPT team (Alzheimer’s disease Diagnosis And Plasma pTau217) will focus on the most promising biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease, called p-tau217.

The charity notes: “This reflects levels of two hallmark proteins found inside the brain in Alzheimer’s disease – amyloid and tau. The researchers will carry out a clinical trial to see whether measuring p-tau217 in the blood increases the rate of diagnosis for Alzheimer’s disease both in people with early dementia, but also in those with mild, progressive problems with memory. The ADAPT team expect to admit their first participants to their trial in the coming months.

“These complementary research approaches will maximise the chances of providing the evidence needed to prove that blood tests are ready for use in the NHS. They will pave the way for them to be made available to all who might benefit within the next five years.”

Who is taking part in the trial?

One of the participants, Stephanie Everill, is taking part in the trials. Aged 67 and hailing from Abingdon in Oxfordshire, she said, “I was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment about a year ago. My mum had Alzheimer’s, so it’s something I’ve seen first-hand.

“The scans I had at the hospital showed that my condition is leaning towards Alzheimer’s disease, but I haven’t had that diagnosed officially yet. I’m getting quite forgetful, and I hope that taking part in this study might mean a faster diagnosis and access to treatments for myself and others in the future.”

What are the symptoms of dementia?

Symptoms vary from person to person and can affect people differently, especially in the early stages. Some common early signs and symptoms of dementia. These include:

• memory loss – for example, problems recalling things that happened recently
• difficulty concentrating, planning or organising – for example, struggling to make decisions, solve problems or follow a series of steps (such as cooking a meal)
• problems with language and communication – for example, difficulties following a conversation or finding the right word for something
• misunderstanding what is being seen – for example, problems judging distances (such as on stairs) or perceiving the edges of objects, and misinterpreting patterns or reflections
• being confused about time or place – for example, losing track of the time or date, or becoming confused about where they are
• mood changes or difficulty controlling emotions – for example, becoming unusually anxious, irritable, sad or frightened, losing interest in things and personality changes.

As a person’s dementia progresses they are likely to experience additional symptoms:

• aggressive behaviour – as a person’s dementia progresses, they may sometimes behave in ways that are physically or verbally aggressive.
• Walking about – walking repeatedly around at home or leaving the house during the day or night
• Lack of insight – when a person with dementia is unable to recognise changes in their behaviour and emotions
• Sleep problems – As well as disruption to their body clock, a person with dementia may sleep more in the day and have difficulty sleeping at night
• Delusions – strongly believing something that is false