Early blood test to predict dementia is step closer as biological markers identified

Work is under way to develop and roll out simple blood tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s, but even with swift diagnosis, challenges remain. Photograph: Science Photo Library/Alamy

Researchers have taken a major step towards a blood test that can predict the risk of dementia more than a decade before the condition is formally diagnosed in patients.

Hopes for the test were raised after scientists discovered biological markers for the condition in blood samples collected from more than 50,000 healthy volunteers enrolled in the UK Biobank project.