Progressive neurodegenerative diseases affect more than 55 million people worldwide
Innovate UK has awarded £4 million to four UK companies through innovation contracts for research into diagnosing dementia.
As part of the BioHermes 002 study, led by the US-based Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP) in partnership with Novo Nordisk, the two organizations will evaluate innovative blood-based and digital biomarkers for neurological diseases.
Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the ability to remember, think and make decisions in everyday life. It affects more than 55 million people worldwide, a number that is expected to triple by 2050.
The aim of this study is to investigate whether these biomarkers can predict the extent of tau and amyloid brain pathology and provide a more efficient and less invasive alternative to positron emission tomography brain imaging, the current gold standard for diagnosing dementia.
The project will involve 1,000 participants from 30 sites across the UK, US, Europe and Canada who are cognitively normal, have mild cognitive impairment, or have mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Nadim Sarwar, head of transformational prevention at Novo Nordisk, said the project would “accelerate the application of breakthroughs in cutting-edge biomarker science and reduce implementation” to help predict, diagnose and classify diseases “better and faster.”
The four winners are: Cambridge Cognition, which offers tools to measure digital biomarkers through iPad touchscreen and voice assessments; Ainostics, whose software is an everyday part of clinical practice and drug development; Intelligent Lab on Fiber, which uses photonics and artificial intelligence to non-invasively analyze blood-based biomarkers; and Cumulus Neuroscience, which collects longitudinal, objective, real-world data for clinical studies.
Dr Stella Peace, executive director of healthy living and farming at Innovate UK, said: “We are delighted to have four UK SMEs involved in this groundbreaking dementia research.”
“We are confident that the award recipients will make significant contributions to this effort and enhance our ability to improve the diagnosis and treatment of AD patients around the world,” added GAP Foundation President John Dwyer.
