Groundbreaking blood test trial underway to diagnose dementia
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is part of a groundbreaking trial exploring blood tests to diagnose dementia.
The initiative, led by the READ-OUT research team at Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), aims to improve the UK's dementia diagnosis rate.
The trial is part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge, a multi-million-pound programme led by Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK.
The programme is supported by funds raised by players of People's Postcode Lottery.
The trial will assess 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 evaluate 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 investigate 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.
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."
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 and across the UK receive timely treatments and support.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People's Postcode Lottery, said: "We are thrilled to see the groundbreaking blood test trial for dementia diagnosis now underway within Aneurin Bevan University Health Board in the south-east of Wales."
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