A major international research project is underway to test whether a finger prick-style blood test could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

The study, involving 1,000 volunteers aged over 60 in the UK, US and Canada, will aim to detect biomarkers associated with the condition.

Medical research charity LifeArc and the Global Alzheimer's Platform Foundation are leading the Bio-Hermes-002 the study, with support from the UK Dementia Research Institute.

They say that, if successful, the test could offer a scalable, accessible and cost-effective way to screen for the disease which could enable earlier intervention, with a better chance of delaying the progress of Alzheimer’s or the development of symptoms.

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 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.”

The trial is looking at three proteins in the blood that are associated with Alzheimer’s and comparing this with the current gold standard approach to diagnosing the disease that uses expensive brain scans and invasive procedures which can be inaccessible for many.

Dr Emer MacSweeney, a neuro-radiologist at ReCognition Health, is recruiting some of the UK volunteers at the organisation’s London clinic.

She said: “Early, accurate biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease are essential. As disease-modifying treatments emerge, these new treatments are most effective when given, as early as possible, when symptoms are still very mild.

“As we approach a future in which Alzheimer’s moves into the preventative realm, where disease can be detected and treated before symptoms even begin, this will be possible only with the availability of sensitive ubiquitous, inexpensive biomarkers.”

Further evidence is still needed before a blood test can be introduced into the NHS, but the Bio-Hermes-002 study aims to validate, in a large-scale, internationally diverse population, this new finger prick-based approach.

The trial is expected to complete in 2028.

ReCognition Health will exhibit at Care and Dementia on March 25-26.