A groundbreaking study exploring the potential of blood tests to diagnose dementia is now underway at several new NHS sites across the country, marking a significant step toward improving the UK’s dementia diagnosis rate.
The study, part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge, has now launched at:
- Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Devon Partnership NHS Trust
- Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust with North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospital Southampton
- West London NHS Trust
These sites join a growing network of 31 Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) sites, including NHS memory clinics and community research services, working together to recruit more than 3,100 participants from diverse communities to ensure the research is inclusive and representative of the UK population.
The READ-OUT (REAl World Dementia OUTcomes) study is part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge – a multi-million-pound programme led by Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, supported with funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. It aims to explore whether a panel of blood tests can complement existing diagnostic pathways in NHS memory clinics, helping clinicians provide faster and more accurate diagnoses for people living with dementia.
The study will assess multiple new and existing blood tests, examining a range of dementia types including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Researchers will also explore whether the tests can detect these conditions at different stages and whether results need to be interpreted differently for people from various ethnic backgrounds or with other health conditions, such as kidney disease.
Professor Vanessa Raymont, Associate Director, Dementias Platform UK and Senior Clinical Researcher, University of Oxford, who leads the READ-OUT study, said:
“Blood biomarker tests could be the answer to a major challenge in dementia diagnosis, and the good news is that the technology already exists. What we’re missing is proof that they really work in a real-world setting. Our team is evaluating a range of blood tests and actively recruiting participants across these regions, including people from minority ethnic groups, the very elderly, and those with other medical conditions. This will help us understand how the tests perform in diverse populations across the UK.
“We are delighted to welcome six new NHS sites to the READ-OUT study. Their involvement will allow us to reach more people nationwide and ensure our research accurately reflects the UK population.
“We’re in an incredibly exciting time for dementia research, with new drugs emerging that can slow early Alzheimer’s disease. Although these treatments are not yet approved for use in the NHS, we urgently need to revolutionise the way we diagnose people. It would be nothing short of disastrous if individuals were unable to receive an early diagnosis and miss the opportunity to benefit from these new drugs once they become available. Many people also want and need the more precise diagnoses that blood biomarkers could provide.”
Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:
“This study marks a pivotal moment in the fight against dementia. Early diagnosis is crucial, and thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, this research has the potential to transform the way dementia is detected and managed across the NHS.”
For anyone concerned about dementia symptoms, please contact your GP or visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia.
The READ-OUT and ADAPT studies work hand in hand to pioneer faster, less invasive dementia diagnosis. The ADAPT trial was launched in September 2025 to test whether a blood biomarker can be used as an inexpensive, less invasive diagnostic tool for Alzheimer’s disease.
Notes to editors
- Led by Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Blood Biomarker Challenge is supported by funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Gates Ventures.
- Diagnosis rate: NHS England has a national ambition that two-thirds (66.7%) of people living with dementia should have a diagnosis. The latest available data (from December 2024) states a diagnosis rate of 65.6% in England.
- The READ-OUT (REAl World Dementia OUTcomes) team will run a fact-finding study for the first 3 years that will take blood tests in 28 Dementias Platform UK sites across the UK, involving more than 3,000 people from diverse populations. In the final 2 years, they will run a clinical trial with 880 people to explore how having a blood test for dementia affects diagnosis and quality of life, patients and carers, impact on care and how the results should be communicated to patients.
The 31 DPUK sites signed up to the study are (in alphabetical order):
- Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
- Barts Health NHS Trust
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB)
- Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
- BrainHealth Manchester (c/o Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust CPFT)
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
- Devon Partnership NHS Trust
- Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
- Luton Memory Services, Luton & Bedfordshire Wellbeing Services, East London NHS Foundation Trust
- Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust with North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
- NHS Lothian
- NHS Western Isles
- (North) Bristol NHS Trust
- Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Remote and Rural Health and Care (South-West Scotland – incorporating NHS D&G, NHS A&A, and NHS Lanarkshire)
- Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust
- St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
- The ReMind UK Centre, Royal United Hospital, Combe Park, Bath
- University Hospital Southampton
- University of Glasgow with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- West London NHS Trust
- ADAPT (Alzheimer’s disease Diagnosis And Plasma pTau217) and READ-OUT are complementary studies that work closely together to advance dementia research, particularly around early detection and blood biomarkers.
The ADAPT team has established a pTau217 assay for use in the NHS and is conducting a clinical trial with 1,100 participants. Half will receive their test results after 3 months and half after 12 months, to understand whether the test makes a difference to the care they receive, the cost of their care and their quality of life. - What is a blood biomarker? Biomarkers can be used to provide evidence that a person has a disease or is at risk of developing it, or to monitor disease progression. For example, an elevated prostate-specific antigen test can be a marker of prostate cancer, and a full blood count can be used to detect if someone has anaemia. Blood biomarkers can be proteins that are detected in bodily fluids, such as the blood, but can provide valuable information about what is happening in other parts of the body, e.g. the brain.
