A UK-wide study into using blood tests to diagnose dementia is now recruiting its first participants.

The READ-OUT (REAl World Dementia OUTcomes) study began testing patients at Warneford Hospital in Oxford this week. 

The study

The study aims to assess blood tests to detect different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. It will also examine whether these tests work equally well across different ethnic groups and people with other health conditions.

More than 3,100 participants without a dementia diagnosis will be recruited from NHS memory clinics and mobile community testing units across the UK. 

Join Dementia Research volunteers who have signed up to Great Minds are among those being invited to take part in the study. Great Minds is a register for people without a dementia diagnosis who are interested in taking part in research studies. 

The results will assess whether blood tests can be used to diagnose dementia faster than brain scans, which are currently used. 

“I hope that taking part might mean a faster diagnosis”

Stephanie Everill, 67 from Abingdon in Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment last year. The condition causes memory and thinking problems and can be an early sign of dementia.

Stephanie, one of the study’s first participants, said: “My mum had Alzheimer’s, so it’s something I’ve seen firsthand. The scans I had at the hospital showed that my condition is leaning towards Alzheimer’s disease, but I haven’t had that diagnosed officially yet. 

“I’m getting quite forgetful, and I hope that taking part in this study might mean a faster diagnosis and access to treatments for myself and others in the future”.

The READ-OUT study is being led by the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. 

It is part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge. This multi-million pound programme is supported by Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Gates Ventures and players of People’s Postcode Lottery. 

The aim of the programme is to introduce blood tests into the NHS within the next 5 years. This could make dementia diagnosis quicker, more accessible and less stressful for patients. 

“Blood biomarker tests could be the answer”

Professor Vanessa Raymont, Senior Clinical Researcher at the University of Oxford (pictured right), 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.

“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’ll be recruiting participants 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.” 

Log in to your Join Dementia Research account to check whether you have been invited to take part in a study. Or, if you are not already registered, sign up today.