In diseases like Alzheimer’s, identifying the earliest changes happening in the brain is extremely important, opening the possibility for future treatments to be given at a stage when they can delay or prevent the onset of symptoms and that may also be when there is the greatest chance of a treatment’s success.

As part of a study called Insight 46, we’ve been able to collect spinal fluid and blood from thousands of volunteers. Proteins in these fluids tell us a great deal about the health of our brains and can predict Alzheimer’s disease.

We’ve discovered how molecules in the brain can change in the extremely early stages of Alzheimer’s. This is far earlier than has ever been recorded before and gives us an exciting opportunity to target new dementia treatments, and to apply them at their most beneficial point.

What’s more, we believe the discovery can be used to create a simple, cost-effective blood test that would replace existing and expensive diagnostic tools needed for research, such as brain scans. This would deliver huge savings that could free up funding for even more discoveries.

It’s a perfect example of what you help our scientists to achieve. A test like this could be a major leap forward in our understanding of this condition. And if you can help us to make more of these incredible breakthroughs, we could find a way to end the heartbreak of dementia altogether. Thank you.