Scottish testing centre prepares for pioneering Alzheimer’s role
21 Apr 2024
The University of St Andrews is on course to launch Scotland’s first blood tests for early stage Alzheimer’s, thanks to a collaboration with healthcare giant Roche Diagnostics.
Researchers working in the new Scottish Brain Sciences lab at a location provided by the university at its Eden campus will be able to employ a new biomarker that builds on the most recent developments in molecular detection.
New technology will enable testing for proteins that suggest the presence of the amyloid build-up that is present in early stages of the disease.
SBS founder and CEO, Craig Ritchie, also St Andrews Professor of Brain Health and Neurodegenerative Medicine commented:
“Memory and thinking tests are a key part of any diagnosis, but our current healthcare system is not set up to find the people who are at the very early stages of the disease.”
As most people do not see a doctor until they experience memory problems, amyloid build up is likely to have started years before, explained Ritchie’s colleague, SBS head of laboratory science Dr Alison Green.
Given that the new tests are as accurate but less costly, specialist and invasive than the standard diagnostic tools – brain scans and lumbar punctures – the hope is that these could be applied more widely within the NHS.
Pic: Joshua Hoehne
