A trial to see if blood tests can diagnose dementia is underway in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
It's aiming to help improve the UK’s diagnosis rate
A 'ground breaking' trial to diagnose dementia with blood tests is now underway in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
It's aiming to help improve the UK’s diagnosis rate, enhance early detection and treatment of dementia which experts say will improve outcomes for those living with the condition.
It could be something that really makes a difference
The trial is part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge – a multi-million-pound programme led by Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.
It aims to explore whether a panel of blood tests can complement existing diagnostic pathways in NHS memory clinics, helping clinicians provide faster and more accurate diagnoses for people living with dementia.
The team will assess multiple 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.
They will allow us to be a lot more certain about diagnosis
Dr Ben Underwood, CPFT's Research and Development Director, honorary consultant psychiatrist and Principal Investigator for READ-OUT in Cambridgeshire said:
"In the last 25 years there's been very little change and if this works out it would be something that would be really different and would be a standard element of care for all the people coming through our clinics."
"They will allow us to be a lot more certain about diagnosis and what might be causing dementia or it could rule some things out as well."
"It could be something that really makes a difference at that point of diagnosis."
If this works out it would be something that would be really different and would be a standard element of care
This research will provide vital evidence needed to integrate blood tests into routine clinical practice in the NHS, ultimately improving diagnosis speed and accuracy, and ensuring that more people in Cambridgeshire and across the UK receive timely treatments and support.
The first participants have already joined the study in Oxford, marking the start of a nationwide drive to recruit over 3,100 participants from 28 DPUK sites across the UK, including CPFT.
These sites, located in NHS memory clinics and community buses, aim to recruit participants from a diverse range of communities, ensuring the research is inclusive and reflects the wider population.