A major UK-wide study investigating blood tests that could improve dementia diagnosis has begun recruiting patients from January 2025. The Real World Dementia Outcomes (READ-OUT) study will evaluate promising blood-based diagnostic tools to determine their accuracy and reliability across diverse patient groups.
Led by Professor Vanessa Raymont at Dementias Platform UK (DPUK), the study is based at the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. It forms part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge, a multi-million-pound initiative supported by Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, Gates Ventures, and People’s Postcode Lottery.
The first volunteers were recruited at Warneford Hospital in Oxford, with the study aiming to enroll over 3,000 participants from 28 NHS memory clinics and community buses across the UK. Researchers will assess multiple blood tests for various dementia types, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies.
The study will also examine whether test results vary based on ethnicity, health conditions such as kidney disease, and disease progression. By validating these blood tests in real-world clinical settings, READ-OUT aims to transform how dementia is diagnosed and managed in the UK.
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