A major international research project involving UCL is underway to test whether a finger prick-style blood test could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer's disease, even before symptoms begin.
The test is being run as part of the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation's Bio-Hermes-002 study, and funded by LifeArc. Researchers at the UK DRI Biomarker Factory at UCL will be analysing the tests.
The finger prick test uses a simple plasma separation card which makes testing cheaper and easier to carry out. It does not need to be refrigerated and can be stored and shipped to a laboratory for analysis at ambient temperature.
Alzheimer's is currently detected using expensive scans and lumbar punctures or spinal taps. This can be invasive, costly, slow, and inaccessible for those living in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure.
Researchers will test for three known biomarkers for Alzheimer's - phosphorylated tau 217 (pTau217), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light polypeptide (NfL) - and compare the results with a variety of other tests being developed for Alzheimer's, including blood-based and digital biomarkers (such as speech tests, retinal scans, cognitive tests) as well as the gold standard PET scans and MRI scans. If successful, the test could offer a scalable, accessible and cost-effective way to screen for the disease which could enable earlier intervention.
Professor Henrik Zetterberg of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, who is also a group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), is leading the team that will be analysing test results from the UK arm of the study.
He said: "This study is unique in its size and scope, with 30% of volunteers being recruited from under-represented groups. Importantly, the results will be compared against current gold standard diagnostic techniques. If successful, being able to diagnose Alzheimer's with a minimally invasive, cost-effective method will revolutionise diagnostics in this area and pave the way for improved diagnosis of all neurodegenerative conditions."
To date, the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation has enrolled 883 of the 1,000 participants from 25 sites across the UK, USA and Canada. This includes a mix of cognitively healthy people, those with mild cognitive impairment and some with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Out of this group, over 360 have completed the test.
Further evidence is still needed before a blood test can be introduced into the NHS, but the Bio-Hermes-002 study aims to validate this new finger prick-based approach in a large-scale, internationally diverse population.
Dr Giovanna Lalli, Director of Strategy and Operations at LifeArc, said: "Over the last five years, there has been substantial progress in identifying blood-based biomarkers to identify people at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease before their symptoms present. Developing cheaper, scalable and more accessible tests is vital in the battle against this devastating condition. We are committed to improving patient lives through the development of new tests and treatments, and we are excited about the prospect of a finger-prick blood test for Alzheimer's disease because it will allow more patients to access new drugs, currently being developed, to slow disease progression in its early stages."
John Dwyer, President of the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation, said: "The introduction of the advanced dried blood spot test is highly anticipated and LifeArc's involvement will significantly enhance our study. Using a simple blood test has the potential to revolutionize diagnosis by making a timely diagnosis accessible to more people, including those who have limited access to specialized healthcare. We look forward to LifeArc's contribution to the Bio-Hermes-002 trial."
The trial is expected to complete in 2028.
