We work at the forefront of technology and spearhead new initiatives to ensure an earlier and more accurate diagnosis for everyone living with dementia.
Diagnose
We know that the diseases that cause dementia can begin up to 20 years before symptoms show. This is a crucial window of time where diagnosis and access to treatments can have the biggest positive impact. Early diagnosis needs to be a focus so that people can then access treatments sooner, take part in research and plan for the future.
As part of our commitment to improve diagnosis, we launched the Blood Based Biomarker challenge.
Back in May, we announced that – alongside Alzheimer’s Society and the National Institute for Health and Care Research – we’d been awarded £5m, thanks to players of Peoples Postcode Lottery, for a project which will help revolutionise dementia diagnosis in the UK.
Our Blood Biomarker challenge will pilot the implementation of new blood tests in the NHS that can diagnose different forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, earlier and more accurately than current methods.
Current projects and initiatives
Can a drug used to treat eye disease be used to restore nerve cell damage?
Prof Nigel Hooper and his team of researchers at the University of Manchester are investigating a potential new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
Can we predict the development of Alzheimer’s?
Researchers at King’s College hospital are investigating a new way to look at the brain that could potentially predict the development of neurodegenerative diseases.
Could lasers help to diagnose dementia?
Researchers at the University of Southampton are investigating if light patterns reflected from spinal fluid could be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s.
Detecting blood vessel wall damage in the brain
Researchers from the University of Manchester are comparing newly developed imaging techniques to detect blood vessel wall damage in early Alzheimer’s disease.
Investigating how mutations affect brain inflammation in frontotemporal dementia
Researchers at King’s College London are unpicking how mutations in specific proteins affect brain inflammation in frontotemporal dementia.
Can boosting chemical messaging in the brain help people with early-stage dementia with Lewy bodies?
Researchers at Newcastle University will study how a drug affects people in early stages of dementia with Lewy bodies.
Understanding the role of metal particles in Alzheimer’s and their potential for diagnosis and treatment
Researchers at Keele University will develop ways to ‘see’ iron in the brain and explore how metals could be used as treatment targets and indicators of Alzheimer’s disease.
How does dementia with Lewy bodies affect sleeping patterns?
Researchers from Northumbria University are using a non-invasive technique to compare sleep patterns of people with and without dementia with Lewy bodies