Alzheimer’s diagnosis blood tests could be offered on NHS within five years, experts say
Blood tests which help detect Alzheimer’s could be made available on the NHS within five years as charities join forces for a £5m project.
Diagnosing the condition is often difficult and relies on drawing a sample of spinal fluid from the lower back – a process known as a lumbar puncture – or brain imaging.
Many can face long waits to be seen, with less than two-thirds of people in England with dementia having a formal diagnosis.
In the hope of speeding up diagnosis and reaching more people, Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Alzheimer’s Society are working with the National Institute for Health and Care Research to bring blood tests to the NHS.
Dr Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research and partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said they “expect more people to be coming forward for diagnosis”.
More will come forward at a younger age, she added, and she expects them to have “less obvious symptoms”.
“We need better, more scalable tests that are also accurate, and compare to current gold-standard methods,” she said.
New tests for detecting the signs of Alzheimer’s are in the research stages, including those looking for specific proteins that occur before dementia symptoms, while pharmaceutical giants Roche and Eli Lilly have also joined forces to develop a blood test.
Some tests are already available in private clinics in Hong Kong and the US, but UK charities said more work is needed to ensure tests were measuring the right combination of biomarkers.
‘New era’ of treatment only possible with better tests
With medicines like donanemab and lecanemab found to slow cognitive decline, the need for blood tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s – so people can benefit from treatment while it’s effective – has become more pressing.
Both these drugs are set to be assessed for use in the UK.
“We’re sitting on the cusp of a new era of dementia treatments,” Dr Kohlhaas explained. “But the NHS doesn’t possess the required levels of diagnostic infrastructure to cope with this growing demand.”
“Currently, only 2% of people are offered advanced diagnostic tests like PET scans and lumbar punctures,” Dr Kohlhaas added.
“Significant investment is needed to ensure the NHS has the right tools to identify people with dementia much earlier than it is currently able to.”
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The new project, called the Blood Biomarker Challenge, will work with researchers to pilot new blood tests in the NHS.
There is no suggestion that the tests could be used for mass population testing.
But Fiona Carragher, director of research and influencing at the Alzheimer’s Society, said introducing a blood test for dementia into UK healthcare systems would be “a truly game-changing win in the fight against this devastating disease”.
Dementia affects around 900,000 people in the UK and experts predict that will rise to 1.7 million people by 2040.
UK
Masked burglars ‘raid’ Windsor Castle grounds ‘while William, Kate and children slept at home on estate’
Masked burglars have stolen farm vehicles from the Windsor Castle estate while members of the Royal Family are believed to have been asleep nearby.
Two men scaled a 6ft fence on the night of 13 October and used a stolen truck to break through a security gate, The Sun first reported.
The pair then fled with a pick-up and a quad bike that were stored in a barn.
The King and Queen were not in residence.
But the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their three children George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Louis were believed to have been in their home, Adelaide Cottage, on the estate, according to The Sun.
The family moved there in 2022.
In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: “At around 11.45pm on Sunday 13 October, we received a report of burglary at a property on Crown Estate land near to the A308 in Windsor.
“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike. They then made off towards the Old Windsor/Datchet area.
“No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”
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On Christmas Day 2021, a man climbed a fence at Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow and claimed he wanted to kill Queen Elizabeth II.
Jaswant Singh Chail was handed a nine-year custodial sentence for treason, possession of an offensive weapon and making threats to kill.
The UK is braced for “disruptive snow” as yellow weather warnings cover large parts of the country until Tuesday – with the Met Office saying there is the “potential” for the alerts to be “escalated”.
The forecaster has warned up to 20cm of snow may accumulate in the worst affected areas as the country experiences its “first taste of winter”.
The Met Office has also told people to expect ice, cold temperatures and wintry showers this week.
Check the forecast in your area
A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for much of the north of the country – covering areas in the East Midlands, Yorkshire, Wales and the north of England – from 7pm on Monday night to 10am on Tuesday morning.
Those in the impacted areas have been told power cuts are possible and mobile phone coverage might be affected.
The Met Office has said there is a “slight chance” some rural communities could be cut off and that bus and train services may be delayed or cancelled.
People are also warned to be careful not to slip or fall on icy surfaces.
The Met Office has said there will be bright spells across northern and eastern areas throughout today, but rain in the south and west will gradually spread northeastwards and turn to snow over northern hills.
Parts of the UK are experiencing their ‘first taste of winter’, says the Met Office. File pic: PA
Tom Morgan, Met Office meteorologist, said: “We could see some disruptive snow in the Pennine regions, in particular, the Peak District as well, especially Monday night, but we could well see some impacts lasting on until Tuesday morning’s rush hour.
“Even down to lower levels, we could well see some snow as well, so quite a bit of disruption possible by Tuesday morning, and then the week ahead is likely to stay cold nationwide, a windy day on Tuesday, and then winter showers through the week ahead.”
Mr Morgan said that despite a “mild” start to the month, the cold conditions are more typical of “mid-winter to late-winter”.
“What we can say is that it’s going to be very cold for the time of year, there will be widespread overnight frosts, and a few locations where there’s snow on the ground,” he continued.
The yellow weather warnings in place across the UK
Meanwhile, a yellow snow and ice weather warning that came into force at 4pm on Sunday will end at 11am this morning.
The warning covers the northern tip of Scotland and people there have been told there may be icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
The Met Office has said there is “potential” for both yellow warnings to be “escalated”.
In southern England, a typical maximum temperature for this time of year is 11C (52F), but daytime highs for the week ahead are forecast to be around 5C (41F), while some parts of Scotland will reach “only just above freezing”, Mr Morgan said.
The meteorologist said the public can best prepare for the wintry weather by checking their cars are suitable for icy and potentially snowy conditions and to take extra supplies including food, blankets and a fully charged mobile phone with them on journeys.
He added there were “likely” to be changes to the weather warnings in the coming days, and that “winter flurries” could be seen in the south of England later in the week.
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Despite the cold conditions, the “whole of the UK” will enjoy more sunshine this week, the meteorologist added.
He said: “There’ll be some snow showers in the peripheries of the UK, particularly northern Scotland, and down the east and the west coast, but if you live inland and you live in the south, there’ll be lots of sparkly blue skies on the most days through Tuesday to Friday.”
It comes as a cold weather alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency, which was introduced at 9am on Sunday, will be in place until 9am on Thursday.
It covers a large area of England, north of Northhampton. The alert is triggered when there is a risk that healthcare services might face extra pressure and is designed to prepare those who are “particularly vulnerable” and “likely to struggle to cope”.
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