Pioneering ‘laser test’ could diagnose dementia early in the disease
Southampton researchers are investigating whether a new laser-based test can detect different types of dementia at an early stage.
This would enable doctors to support patients years earlier, when new drug treatments are most effective.
The scientists are hailing the technique as a “breakthrough in medical technology”.
Their project is among the first to be funded by a new award from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The research is led by Professor Chris Kipps from University Hospital Southampton and Professor Sumeet Mahajan from the University of Southampton.
Improving diagnosis
There are over 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK. By 2040, this figure is expected to rise to 1.4 million. There are many different types of the condition, variably affecting memory, language and problem-solving skills, and get worse over time.
New treatments are now coming through for treating Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form. However, they are best given to people in the early stages of the disease.
Diagnosing dementia early is difficult. It often takes over two years using current diagnostic methods, and many people never get a diagnosis.
One of the main challenges is that the disease has already progressed by the time symptoms start to appear. Differentiating closely related dementia types is another challenge. This is why the researchers have come together to develop an accurate diagnostic test for early dementia that helps distinguish between different dementia types.
Prof Kipps, a Consultant Neurologist at University Hospital Southampton, said: “The slow progression of dementia, with a long pre-symptomatic phase, presents a formidable challenge in early diagnosis.
“This laser-based technique could far surpass current diagnostic methods for affordability and efficiency. It represents a breakthrough in medical technology.
“This innovation is not just a leap in healthcare quality; it's a paradigm shift, redefining our approach to neurodegenerative disease in the clinic.”
Combining expertise
The money has been awarded through the new UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode scheme. This supports emerging ideas from the research community that span disciplines.
The study brings together research expertise in Southampton from medicine, chemistry, biology, engineering and computer science. This was enabled by the Southampton Imaging theme and the Interdisciplinary Dementia and Ageing Centre (IDeAC), both of which are supported by the Institute for Life Sciences at the University of Southampton.
Their project is called Holistic Optical Biomarkers to Transform Dementia Diagnosis (HOpE).
It is one of the first 36 projects to receive this new funding, out of almost 900 applications submitted by research teams across the UK.
Paul Grundy, chief medical officer at University Hospital Southampton, said: “Research and innovation will be key to us addressing the most important health and care issues facing society.
“We are proud to have partnered with the University of Southampton for over 50 years, and this latest project is another example of when our experts come together from different disciplines.”
‘Biochemical fingerprint’
The new technology is known as Multi-excitation Raman spectroscopy (MX-Raman). It uses lasers to analyse the composition of a single drop of a bodily fluid. This can be blood, spinal fluid or mucus.
This is used to identify unique vibrational profiles that give a ‘biochemical fingerprint’ for dementia.
It can provide results in seconds and would be much cheaper than other diagnostic tests currently available.
Early results from their research suggest the test can accurately detect dementia at an early stage. They have shown it has an average accuracy of over 93% when diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease.
It can also distinguish between different types of dementia. This is particularly important, as new and emerging therapies need certainty as to the type of dementia – whether Alzheimer’s disease or another form.
The researchers will use the funding to create a portable prototype device. They aim to test this using various bodily fluids, and demonstrate its ability to identify specific dementia types.
Prof Mahajan, Professor of Molecular Biophotonics and Imaging at the University of Southampton, said: “Our integrated approach has the potential to revolutionise dementia diagnostics. There is an urgent unmet clinical need for more discriminatory, efficient and cost-effective solutions.
“Our holistic MX-Raman technique is uniquely equipped to address these challenges and we want to see this technology lead to vastly improved patient outcomes.”
HOpE is one of 36 projects to receive this new funding out of almost 900 applications submitted by research teams across the UK.
The project will share £32.4m from the first round of UKRI scheme.