Cheap blood tests that could spot Alzheimer’s are set to be given to thousands of adults in an effort to ‘revolutionise’ NHS diagnostic rates.
In a landmark trial, researchers from University College London will use tests to detect proteins in the blood linked to the condition and other forms of dementia.
Currently, receiving a formal Alzheimer’s diagnosis in the UK relies on people undergoing mental ability tests, brain scans or invasive and painful lumbar punctures.
Researchers hope the ‘groundbreaking’ blood test could speed up the process, allowing patients to get treated earlier and hold off the onslaught of the cruel illness.
Professor Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: ‘Too often, dementia is diagnosed late, limiting access to support, treatment, and opportunities to plan ahead.
‘For many across the UK, getting that diagnosis remains a major challenge – one that it will take society, researchers and governments working together to fix.’
She added that the trial, which is part-funded by the People’s Postcode Lottery, ‘marks a critical step towards that’.
‘Blood tests could offer a faster and more accessible route to diagnosis.’
It is estimated up to one in three people living with dementia in England are yet to receive a formal diagnosis.
The blood test measures the protein p-tau217, which shows if both amyloid and tau are present in the brain.
Significant clumps of these protein can form plaques and tangles, and this is thought to be behind the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
The trial, involving 1,100 people, is set to take place across 20 different areas in the UK and will be carried out with people who have reported symptoms to their GP and may be in the early stages of dementia.
Recruitment at the first trial location in Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust began late last month.
Half of all patients will be given their blood test results after three months, and half after 12 months.
The researchers will then be able to analyse if getting an earlier diagnosis improves patients’ care.
The impact of blood test results on quality of life will also be measured.
Professor Jonathan Schott, Professor of Neurology at University College London, and chief medical officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: ‘We are thrilled to welcome participants onto the trial, which we hope will take us a step forward in revolutionising the way we diagnose dementia.
‘After decades of research, we now have a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease that is backed by strong scientific evidence and provides comparable information to other gold-standard diagnostic tests such as PET scans and lumbar punctures, yet is far more accessible, and cheaper.
‘Currently only about 2 per cent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s have access to one of these gold-standard diagnostic tests.
‘While identifying Alzheimer’s disease early and accurately is already important for enabling access to current therapies and planning care, it will become even more critical as a new generation of treatments emerge that can slow down the decline of memory and thinking.
‘Timely diagnosis will be key to ensuring these advances reach the people who need them most.’
Around 944,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, while the figure is thought to be around 7million in the US.
Alzheimer’s affects around six in 10 people with dementia.
Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time.
Dementia diagnoses are expected to sky-rocket in the coming years, making a cheap screening tool vital to get to grips with the challenge.
Alzheimer’s Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country’s biggest killer.
