A project involving researchers from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Imperial College London and Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) has been selected for a major UK initiative aimed at improving dementia diagnosis and helping more people access the support and treatment they need sooner.
The project is one of nine selected for the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) NHS Fit for the Future Dementia Challenge, a programme backed by up to £80 million through the Department for Business and Trade’s Research & Development Missions Accelerator Programme (R&D MAP). The challenge aims to accelerate the adoption of innovative technologies and approaches that could help people receive faster memory disorder diagnoses by 2029.
At the heart of the Oxford and DPUK led project is the integration of blood-based dementia biomarkers into routine NHS memory services. The panel of biomarkers are currently being validated through the Blood Biomarker Challenge-funded READ-OUT study and will now be rolled out at 6-10 NHS memory service sites as part of the standard clinical pathway, to understand how this can be done in all memory clinics.
Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, accounting for almost one in eight deaths. More than 72,000 people across the UK died from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, in 2025. Despite advances in diagnosis and care, many people still face long waits for answers, with diagnosis often taking months and, in some cases, more than a year. Earlier diagnosis can help people access support and treatment sooner, take part in research, and make informed decisions about their future.
The Dementia Challenge is designed to accelerate promising innovations by funding projects that demonstrate measurable benefits for patients and health services. Only projects that successfully meet key milestones will progress to future stages of funding, helping ensure that the most effective approaches can reach NHS services more quickly.
Professor Vanessa Raymont, Director of DPUK and Director of R&D at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Blood-based biomarkers have the potential to transform dementia diagnosis within NHS memory services. Building on the evidence generated through the READ-OUT study, this project will help us understand how these tests can be integrated into routine clinical pathways and at which point they would be most effective in supporting timely and accurate diagnoses. We aim to establish a blueprint for their use across the NHS by 2029, which would be truly transformative for services, as earlier diagnosis can help people living with dementia and their families access support, treatment and information at a crucial point in their journey.”
The project represents an important next step in translating dementia biomarker research into clinical practice and reflects DPUK’s mission to accelerate discoveries that improve the lives of people affected by dementia.
