Project to test how blood tests could spot Alzheimer’s earlier

Charities and the NHS are collaborating on a project to gauge whether blood tests can be used to help diagnose people with very early Alzheimer’s disease.

The project between the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is set to pilot the use of dementia blood tests in the NHS.

The work is being funded by the Blood Biomarker Challenge, a £5m award supported the People’s Postcode Lottery that hopes to revolutionise dementia diagnosis in the UK.

Currently, there is no single test for Alzheimer’s, and patients can wait years for a diagnosis. For people with young-onset dementia it can take as long as four years.

The NHS Blood Biomarker Challenge is looking to recruit at least 1,000 NHS patients for the pilot. Although a blood test would not be able to determine Alzheimer’s 100% of the time, it could potentially spot signs of the disease years before symptoms appear.

Alzheimer’s Research UK has said, if successful, the work could mean that, when someone is referred to a clinic for diagnosis within the NHS, they would have rapid access to a simple, non-invasive, and inexpensive blood test, receiving the result within weeks.

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease at its earliest stages would then allow people time to put in place support and care, take part in clinical trials and to access new treatments when they arrive.

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research and partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We’re sitting on the cusp of a new era of dementia treatments. Doctors are likely going to see more people coming forward for a diagnosis. But the NHS doesn’t possess the required levels of diagnostic infrastructure to cope with this growing demand.”

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Fiona Carragher, director of research and influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society, added: “New drugs targeting early-stage Alzheimer’s disease are just around the corner. But, without a diagnosis, people simply won’t be able to access them if they are approved.

“This could absolutely revolutionise the way dementia is diagnosed.”