Oxford dementia blood test takes step closer to NHS use
The project aims to integrate blood-based biomarkers into routine NHS memory services
An Oxford-led project looking at how blood tests could help diagnose dementia more quickly has been selected for a major UK initiative.
Researchers from the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) are working on ways to introduce blood-based dementia biomarkers into routine NHS memory services.
The project is one of nine chosen for UK Research and Innovation's NHS Fit for the Future Dementia Challenge, which is backed by up to £80 million in government funding.
The programme aims to speed up the introduction of new technologies and approaches that could help people receive faster diagnoses for memory disorders by 2029.
As part of the Oxford and DPUK-led project, a panel of blood biomarkers currently being validated through the READ-OUT study will be introduced at between six and ten NHS memory service sites.
Researchers will investigate how the tests can be incorporated into the normal process of diagnosing patients, with the longer-term aim of developing an approach that could be used across NHS memory clinics.
Dementia is the UK's leading cause of death, with more than 72,000 people dying from dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, in 2025.
People seeking a diagnosis can currently wait months, and some waiting more than a year.
Researchers say earlier diagnosis could allow people to access treatment and support sooner, participate in research and make informed decisions about their future.
Professor Vanessa Raymont, Director of Dementias Platform UK and Director of Research and Development at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said blood-based biomarkers had the potential to "transform dementia diagnosis within NHS memory services".
She said: "Building on the evidence generated through the READ-OUT study, this project will help us understand how these tests can be integrated into routine clinical pathways and at which point they would be most effective in supporting timely and accurate diagnoses.
"We aim to establish a blueprint for their use across the NHS by 2029, which would be truly transformative for services, as earlier diagnosis can help people living with dementia and their families access support, treatment and information at a crucial point in their journey."
Projects taking part in the Dementia Challenge will have to meet a series of milestones to progress to later stages of funding, with the aim of getting successful approaches into NHS services more quickly.