Scientists revealed a new blood test yesterday that can identify people at high risk of Alzheimer’s with 94 per cent accuracy – paving the way for routine screening for the disease on the NHS in the near future, scientists have said.
The test can pinpoint people with high levels of amyloid and tau proteins, which build up in the brain to cause Alzheimer’s. These people can be given more extensive tests to get a final diagnosis.
When might this blood test become available?
The blood test could become available in the UK in a very limited way within the next year in some specialist, private clinics, one of its developers, Nicholas Ashton, of Gothenburg University, told i.
It will take longer to become available on the NHS because value-for-money and effectiveness need to be more thoroughly investigated. But the general consensus is that this could well happen within three to five years – although it is very hard to say for sure and estimates vary.
Dr Ashton said: “I think it is realistic to think that a blood test like this will start to be used in specialised centers within 1 year – but it will take longer for it be a routine test in local centres.”
A spokesperson for ALZpath, the US diagnostics firm that is commercialising the test, added: “ALZpath is in discussions with labs in the UK to launch for clinical use later in 2024 [and the test] is already available for research use at University College London.”
Routine screening for Alzheimer’s
Assuming further tests confirm the effectiveness of the blood test – and it is given regulatory clearance – it could be used to screen Alzheimer’s in those over 50 every year or two, just as they are at present for high cholesterol.
This would mean the disease could be caught much earlier than is possible at the moment – in some cases the blood tests could detect the disease 10 to 15 years before symptoms show.
And patients can be given promising new drugs that are expected to become available in the next two to three years in the early stages of the disease, when they are at their most effective.
What needs to happen before the blood tests become available on the NHS?
More research is needed to further demonstrate the accuracy of the blood test, which is expected to form part of NHS trials starting this month looking to roll out blood tests for Alzheimer’s within the next five years.
The results of those trials will be used by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory, which looks at safety and effectiveness, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which focuses on cost-effectiveness.
Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This study is a hugely welcome step in the right direction….[but] we still need to see more research across different communities to understand how effective these blood tests are across everyone who lives with Alzheimer’s disease.”
Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Before any blood tests can become standard diagnostic tools, they must be independently shown to be at least as sensitive and accurate as gold-standard approved tests, such as lumbar punctures. This study suggests that measuring levels of a protein called p-tau217 in the blood could be as accurate as currently used lumbar punctures for detecting the biological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, and superior to a range of other tests currently under development.”
Dr Ashton said the cost of the test in the US would be about $200 (£157). This compares with $949 (£745) per test for the Galleri blood test for cancer, being trialled on the NHS at present.
What are the most promising new drugs?
Slowing down cognitive decline – Donanemab:
It could be available on the NHS within two years.
Donanemab has been identified by the Alzheimer’s Society as one of the three most promising drugs in the pipeline and it is one of the two most advanced in testing – with experts saying it could potentially be available on the NHS within as little as two years.
Donanemab appeared to slow down the decline of cognitive function in the brain by 35 per cent compared with a placebo, according to a phase-three clinical trial involving 1,182 people with early-stage disease.
Targeting a toxic protein in the brain – Lecanemab:
It could be available on the NHS within two years.
The second of the Alzheimer’s Society’s most promising drugs, lecanemab may also be available within two years.
This drug, made by Eisai and BioArctic, was found to reduce progression of the disease by 27 per cent in an advanced phase-three trial last year.
Many scientists believe the disease is triggered by amyloid – a toxic protein that can clump in the brain in plaques.
Like Donanemab, Lecanemab works by breaking down this amyloid.
Easy to take and with less side effects – Remternetug:
When it could be available on the NHS is unknown as trials are under way.
Remternetug is the third of the promising amyloid targetting immunotherapy drugs and is also made by Eli Lilly, who make donanemab.
It targets the same type of amyloid as donanemab, but is hoped to perform better and is being given to patients in a different way.
Whereas donanemab and lecanemab are given by an intravenous drip – requiring patients to attend sessions in a clinic lasting up to an hour – the trial of remternetug is delivered by injections under the skin.
'President Musk' is flexing his muscles and revealing how weak Trump is