A major new Australian trial could help detect Alzheimer's disease years earlier, offering hope to hundreds of thousands of people and potentially easing the strain on the nation's health system. Researchers plan to combine online memory tests with a new blood test to identify individuals at high risk of developing Alzheimer's before symptoms become severe.
The study, led by the Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT), aims to recruit thousands of participants and test whether a large-scale screening program could dramatically improve early diagnosis. Dementia is already one of Australia's most pressing health challenges, being the leading cause of death and disability in people over 65 and accounting for 60% of admissions to permanent residential aged care.
ADNeT director Professor Christopher Rowe told 7NEWS that the problem will intensify as Australia's population ages. 'We have to use new technology to prevent and treat this condition,' he said. The proposed trial combines online cognitive testing and a blood test designed to detect proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease.
Rowe says recent scientific advances make early detection far more achievable. 'New technology that's recently emerged enables us to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia, with a simple blood test,' he said. When combined with online memory testing, doctors believe they can identify people at high risk of dementia long before symptoms become severe, allowing for early treatment when it is most effective.
GP and dementia researcher Dr Stephanie Daly explains that the blood test, called Ptau217, measures proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease. Previously, detecting these proteins required invasive or expensive tests like scans and lumbar punctures. The new blood test enables more timely diagnostic assessments for people with memory and thinking changes.
Australians over 55 interested in participating can register through the Australian Dementia Network's volunteer portal. For 78-year-old Jennifer Gardner, whose mother had Alzheimer's, the trial offers hope for earlier detection and better planning for the future.
