Alzheimer’s finger-prick blood test could transform diagnosis, experts say

An international study is examining whether a finger-prick blood test could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, involving 1,000 volunteers over the age of 60 in the UK, US and Canada, will aim to identify biomarkers associated with the condition.

London GP Dr Michael Sandberg was encouraged to take part in the study after seeing his mother’s Alzheimer’s disease slowly decline. He received negative results from the tests and said it was a “great relief”.

Bio-Hermes-002 study It is managed by the medical research charity LifeArc and the Global Alzheimer Platform Foundation, with support from the UK Dementia Research Institute.

LifeArc’s director of strategy and operations, Dr. Giovanna Lalli said: “We are looking at the presence of three proteins that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease, called blood-based biomarkers.

“By analyzing the concentration and levels of these proteins, it can tell us whether a person is at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

Research has shown that harmful proteins called amyloid and tau can accumulate in individuals’ brains as long as 15 years before they begin to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia.

All volunteers will undergo the current gold standard tests for Alzheimer’s, which include a special brain PET scan using a radioactive tracer or a lumbar puncture to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid.

Such tests are expensive, time-consuming and invasive, and only two in 100 Alzheimer’s patients are offered them; Therefore, it is hoped that the finger prick test could help revolutionize the way the disease is identified.

Prof Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, said it was “taking too long to get an accurate diagnosis” because tests were not currently widely available across the UK.

He added: “With new treatments on the horizon, early and accurate diagnosis must be a priority for the NHS. That’s why we’re funding work to bring blood tests for dementia to the NHS, so everyone who would benefit from the diagnosis can get it quickly and accurately.”

Sandberg, who participated in the experiment, told the BBC: “My mother did very well in an experiment and that encouraged me to take part.

“I believe that knowledge is power, and I’m really excited that you can screen people at risk for dementia without expensive scans or injections.”

When Sandberg was given her results, both the brain scan and the finger prick test were negative. She said: “It’s such a relief to know what my mother is going through.”

This is of course just one set of results. Scientists will need to analyze the findings of all 1,000 volunteers who participated in the trial before knowing how useful the finger-prick blood test is in determining Alzheimer’s risk.

Dr Emer MacSweeney, neuro-radiologist at ReCognition Health, is recruiting some volunteers from the UK.

He said: “If successful, this would provide a ubiquitous, accurate test that could detect the presence of abnormal amyloid protein in the brain without the need for complex, expensive investigations.”

Using blood biomarkers to determine Alzheimer’s risk is a rapidly developing field of research.

Last year, US regulators Approved a blood test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease. This involves traditional blood draw using a needle and syringe.

another one to work The UK is investigating whether blood tests can improve both diagnosis and treatment in real-world settings.

An important advantage of the finger prick test is that it can be performed by individuals at home and the sample can be sent to a laboratory for analysis because it does not require refrigeration.

There are hopes that blood tests could eventually be used as a dementia screening tool in older adults.

To date, the study has enrolled 883 of 1,000 participants and more than 360 have completed all testing.

This includes cognitively normal and mildly impaired people, as well as people with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

At least 25% of volunteers will be from underrepresented groups. The trial is expected to be completed in 2028.