Blood tests could revolutionise how dementia is diagnosed, making diagnosis earlier, more accessible and accurate.
Scientists have been looking for simpler and more reliable ways to find out when someone’s brain is changing due to dementia. They have searched for biomarkers – biological clues that we can find outside the brain (like in blood) that tells us the brain is changing.
At this event, we heard from researchers working to improve how dementia is diagnosed. Dr Maura Malpetti and Dr Ashvini Keshavan discussed the progress they are making, and the improvements their research could bring for people affected by dementia.
Speakers
Dr Maura Malpetti
Dr Maura Malpetti is a Race Against Dementia Alzheimer’s Research UK Fellow and a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge.
Maura’s research focuses on using brain scans and blood tests to measure early brain changes linked with dementia. She is interested in changes in inflammation and the build-up of junk proteins, and how these link with symptoms in people with different forms of dementia. Her work aims to identify biological fingerprints that can detect dementia earlier, and lead to more accurate prognosis and effective treatments in people living with these conditions.
Dr Ashvini Keshavan
Dr Ashvini Keshavan is an honorary consultant neurologist based at the Dementia Research Centre at UCL. Alongside her clinical work, she researches biological fingerprints of Alzheimer’s that can be detected in blood and spinal fluid.
Ashvini is working on a pivotal 5-year study in people attending memory clinics across the UK, which includes a trial of a new blood test for Alzheimer’s disease. The hope is that the research will show that the blood tests will increase Alzheimer’s diagnosis rates and provide value for money if added to current standard practice.
For more information or questions about the event, please email the Involvement & Engagement team engage@alzheimersresearchuk.org
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