Blood test trials hunt for holy grail of NHS dementia treatment
Biomarkers could pave way for quicker and better care
THOUSANDS of people are to be offered blood tests to check for dementia in a trial to find one that can be rolled out on the NHS.
A blood test for Alzheimer’s has been the holy grail for researchers and several have been shown to work in lab tests.
The £10million Blood Biomarker Challenge will evaluate if any are effective enough in real world patients to justify routine population screening.
It could lead to earlier, more targeted treatments such as new drugs and lifestyle changes for patients for whom irreversible brain damage has yet to ravage their thinking and memory.
Current NHS methods for diagnosis include extensive cognitive tests and PET scans or invasive lumbar puncture procedures to test the spinal fluid.
Participants in the Challenge will be from 15 memory clinics. Dr Sheona Scales, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, one of its sponsors, said: “Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer but more than one third living with it go undiagnosed.
“Only two per cent receive the PET brain scans or lumbar punctures that can provide a definitive assessment.
“This is worrying. Now drugs are starting to make it through trials that can slow progression of Alzheimer’s, provided you identify it early. We need an early and accurate diagnosis.”
Lab-based studies have shown promising results for blood tests which can indicate who is likely to be diagnosed with dementia in years to come.
As part of the Challenge, a new trial by Oxford and Cambridge universities will enrol 4000 patients to look at different tests which check for biomarkers in the bloodstream.
These indicate damaging proteins that are accumulating in “tangles” in the brain or that there is slower blood flow to the organ.
The patients who reported memory problems will be checked for different forms of dementia like Alzheimer’s, vascular and Lewy body dementia.
Researchers will also examine different ways of administering the tests, such as a finger-prick test by post. Any test will need to have an extremely low rate of false positives.
Dr Richard Oakley, of the Alzheimer’s Society, another sponsor, said: “In specialist research settings, where everything is perfect, these tests are really useful. Can they still prove reliable when used by non-specialists, on different equipment and with diverse patients?” A second trial by University
College London will test one promising Alzheimer’s blood test on 1100 participants to see if it speeds up the diagnostic process. Half the group will get results after three months and half after 12 months to see if getting it sooner improves their care.
Charities have warned the NHS is not equipped currently to benefit from emerging drugs which can slow dementia.
Prof Jonathan Schott, of UCL, said: “A simple blood test is potentially game-changing.
“It would pave the way for fair access to new and potentially life-changing treatments.”
The Challenge will get £5million funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery.
A simple blood test is potentially a gamechanger for patients prof jonathan schott of ucl