‘Revolutionary’ new laser test could detect dementia in just 5 minutes – years before symptoms set in
A NEW laser test can detect dementia within seconds, years before symptoms appear, according to scientists.
Researchers from the University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton hope the groundbreaking new technology will be rolled out in GP surgeries.
Initial trials have shown it can detect Alzheimer's disease with an average accuracy of more than 93 per cent, they added.
The new technology, called Multi-excitation Raman spectroscopy (MX-Raman), uses laser beams to analyse a single drop of a bodily fluid – this can be blood, spinal fluid or mucus.
The light allows scientists to examine and look for changes in the proteins, lipids, sugars and other biomolecules.
Professor Chris Kipps, consultant neurologist at University Hospital Southampton, said the technique represents "a breakthrough in medical technology" and could "change the way we approach dementia diagnosis".
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He added: "This innovation is not just a leap in healthcare quality; it's a paradigm shift, redefining our approach to neurodegenerative disease in the clinic."
Dementia, a group of conditions that compromise the brain and rob sufferers of their memories and independence, is on the rise.
More than 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK, with numbers expected to hit 1.4million by 2040.
There are many different types of the condition, such as Alzheimer's and vascular dementia, which is progressive and gets worse over time.
Diagnosing dementia can take up to two years with current diagnostic tools, which can include brain scans and memory tests.
The researchers said many people do not receive a diagnosis until a much later stage in the disease, when treatment options are less effective.
Other major Alzheimer's breakthroughs
While experts have warned that dementia diagnoses in England have reached record numbers, there have been a number of recent advances against the brain-robbing diseases.
From "game-changing" drugs gaining approval to blood tests that can spot the condition years before symptoms, here are other major Alzheimer's breakthroughs:
- A "game-changing" Alzheimer's drug called donanemab, that slows mental decline by up to 60 per cent has been approved in some parts of the world.
- A blood test that detects Alzheimer’s up to 15 years before symptoms emerge is set to be made free on the NHS within a year. The new test is cheaper, easier and at least as accurate as the current diagnosis options and works by measuring levels of a protein in the blood called p-tau217.
- Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind test that could predict dementia up to nine years before a diagnosis, with 80 per cent accuracy. It involves analysing network of connections in the brain when it's in "idle mode" to look for very early signs of the condition.
- Scientists have also put AI to the test, developing machine learning models were able to spot early warning signs of the memory-robbing condition up to seven years before Alzheimer's symptoms appear.
- A woman who has evaded Alzheimer’s disease despite half her relatives getting it could hold the clues to how to prevent it, with scientists pinpointing a particular gene which they think could help prevent Alzheimer’s from progressing.