Indian-Origin Neurologist Part Of Pioneering Research Team To Improve Dementia Diagnosis

A neurologist of Indian origin, Dr. Ashvini Keshavan, is part of a top-notch research team in the UK which has recently received a significant grant to further develop potential blood tests for dementia. The most common form of dementia worldwide is?Alzheimer's disease.

Blood Biomarker Challenge

Dr. Ashvini Keshavan is a Senior Clinical Research Fellow and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at University College London (UCL).?

The team will primarily focus on a promising biomarker for Alzheimer's disease known as p-tau217.?

Dr. Keshavan stated that proteins linked to various dementia-related illnesses, particularly Alzheimer’s disease, are now detectable in blood.?

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Their study is one of the two studies funded by the Blood Biomarker Challenge grant aim to implement blood tests in real-life situations in the UK.?

The Blood Biomarker Challenge is a multi-million-pound grant provided by several organisations.?

Aim to determine if blood test can effectively confirm dementia

The study led by UCL, known as ADAPT, will concentrate on plasma p-tau217 as a blood marker for Alzheimer’s disease. It will investigate whether knowledge of the test result can enhance rates of Alzheimer’s diagnosis when combined with standard memory clinic assessments.

The aim of the UCL study is to determine if these tests can effectively confirm the presence or absence of these diseases in individuals experiencing early-stage dementia or mild cognitive decline that is progressively worsening.

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Current dementia diagnosis tests not very accurate

Currently, dementia diagnosis usually involves memory tests and brain scans. However, these methods are less accurate than advanced tests like PET scans or lumbar punctures, which can confirm the type of dementia. Sadly, only 2 percent of people have access to these specialized tests.

Recently, several blood tests capable of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia have shown promising results in research settings.

According to Dr. Vanessa Raymont, Associate Director at Dementias Platform UK and Senior Clinical Researcher at the University of Oxford, there was once a belief that dementia was just a normal part of aging. However, people are now seeking more information about their condition and desire a diagnosis to access necessary support.