20/01/2026
Crayon promoting this blood test 🦋
Getting a dementia diagnosis can be a long and difficult journey.
Current tests like brain scans and lumbar punctures can be time consuming and are not widely available. As a result, too many people wait far too long for answers, and miss out on the support, care and treatment that can come with an early and accurate diagnosis.
But a breakthrough could be on the way.
A major international study, Bio-Hermes-002, is testing whether a simple and cost-effective finger prick-style blood test could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster, more easily and at a much lower cost.
Studies like this are a vital step forward as blood tests could revolutionise dementia diagnosis in the future with a simple test that could be offered far more widely.
While we’re not directly involved in this particular research study, we are leading the work in this transformative space through our Blood Biomarker Challenge in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
This programme is funding large scale research studies to bring blood tests for dementia into real NHS settings within the next five years so everyone who needs a diagnosis can get one quickly and accurately.
With new disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s disease on the horizon, early and accurate diagnosis must be a priority for the government and the NHS.
We don’t want a situation where the NHS has treatments available but too many people can’t access them.
Blood tests could change that future. Studies like Bio Hermes 002, alongside our own pioneering work, are bringing us one step closer.
Headline source: BBC News.
