A groundbreaking trial exploring the potential of blood tests to diagnose dementia is now underway in CPFT, to help improve the UK’s diagnosis rate.
This research led by the READ-OUT research team at Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), seeks to address gaps in diagnosis and enhance early detection and treatment of dementia, ultimately improving outcomes for people living with the condition.
The trial is part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge – a multi-million-pound programme led by Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, supported with funds raised by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery . 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. The researchers will also look at whether the blood tests can help detect these diseases at various stages and if the results need to be interpreted differently in people from different ethnic backgrounds or with other health conditions such as kidney disease.
Dr Ben Underwood, CPFT's Research and Development Director, honorary consultant psychiatrist and Principal Investigator for READ-OUT in Cambridgeshire (pictured), said: "I am very excited that this study is coming to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Finding blood tests to help diagnose dementia is something we have been trying to do for years. We know these tests work well in research trials – now we want to see if they work in normal NHS clinics. If we can demonstrate that these tests could quickly become part of routine NHS 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.
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.
“Blood biomarker tests could be the answer to this problem and the good news is that the technology already exists. What we’re missing is the proof that they really do work in a real-world setting. Our team will be looking at a range of blood tests and we are actively recruiting participants in Cambridgeshire from a broad range of people including those from minority ethnic groups, the very elderly and people with other medical conditions. This will show us how the blood tests perform in different UK populations.”
To take part in this trial or find out more about dementia research at CPFT, contact the Trust's research team at wru@cpft.nhs.uk or call 01223 219753.
