Dementia blood tests could be available on the NHS in five years, Alzheimer’s Society claims, after launching the next phase of its Blood Biomarker Challenge, a £5 million award for the research team judged most likely to deliver.
Applications for the challenge, a collaboration with Alzheimer’s Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research, have now closed and a panel of experts is due to announce the winner in January.
“It’s hoped the tests will be able to diagnose different forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, earlier and more accurately than current methods,” said Fiona Carragher, director of research and influencing at the Society.
“Current figures estimate that more than a third of people over 65 who are living with dementia in England go undiagnosed, which highlights the urgent need for the NHS to improve how it diagnoses people with symptoms of dementia.”