A significant new study has been launched this month with the goal of identifying blood tests that could provide more accurate and rapid diagnoses for dementia compared to current methods.
The Real World Dementia Outcomes (READ-OUT) study is set to explore promising blood tests that, despite showing potential in research, are not yet routinely used in dementia diagnosis. This groundbreaking research will assess the accuracy and reliability of these blood tests across diverse populations, providing invaluable insight into their real-world performance.
The READ-OUT study is spearheaded by Professor Vanessa Raymont and the esteemed team at Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), based at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. This initiative is part of the larger Blood Biomarker Challenge, a multi-million-pound programme backed by prominent organisations including Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Gates Ventures, and players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, Dr Sheona Scales, said:
“Having a formal diagnosis of dementia is vital so people can access personalised care and support, put future plans in place, and it opens up opportunities to take part in medical research and clinical trials. Getting an early and accurate diagnosis will also be crucial if people are to access new, first-of-a-kind treatments that are on the horizon.”
“Sadly, at the moment, around one in three people with dementia never receive a formal diagnosis. And the way dementia is diagnosed has barely changed for nearly two decades and requires an urgent rehaul.”
The first volunteers for the READ-OUT study have been successfully recruited from the Warneford Hospital in Oxford. The research team aims to enrol over 3,000 individuals from 28 NHS memory clinics and community buses across the UK. This extensive recruitment effort underscores the study’s commitment to comprehensive and inclusive research.
The READ-OUT study will evaluate a variety of new and existing blood tests, focusing on multiple types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. The researchers will also investigate the efficacy of these blood tests in detecting dementia at various stages and whether results need to be interpreted differently for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds or those with other health conditions such as kidney disease.
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