Innovating early dementia diagnosis
- 23 April 2025
AI and digital technologies are critical to addressing the ever-expanding burden of dementia, write Professor Dag Aarsland and Dr Antonio Ruiz-Gonzalez
Dementia, caused by Alzheimer’s disease in most cases, is a growing crisis for the NHS and wider society.
Up to a quarter of NHS hospital beds are occupied by patients with dementia at any given time – projections suggest that by 2051, around two million people in the UK will be living with the condition.
Addressing the ever-expanding burden of dementia will require innovation across the life science and health tech sectors, with digital technology acting as a critical enabler for capitalising on the latest pharmacological developments.
While there is still no cure for dementia, the landscape for its treatment is changing rapidly.
A new generation of disease-modifying drugs designed to slow the progression of dementia are being evaluated for use, with the first of these treatments already achieving Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approval.
If administered in the earliest stages of dementia, the new disease-modifying treatments could offer improved quality of life for patients and their families.
However, to be effective, these drugs need to be prescribed before the dementia has progressed significantly; as they slow rather than reverse the disease, they offer little significant value for patients with more advanced dementia.
Improving early diagnosis rates of dementia could be the solution to easing economic burden on the NHS and social care services.
However, the current system struggles to diagnose patients early enough. Dementia diagnosis rates have remained below NHS England’s targets since the pandemic, and efforts to recover them have proven difficult.
There are two main issues with achieving the early diagnosis ambitions of the system, both presenting an opportunity for digital innovation:
- Equity in dementia diagnosis is a concern as access to services varies significantly across different regions, particularly in rural communities.
- Existing diagnostic methods rely heavily on cognitive testing, which can miss early symptoms, particularly in highly educated individuals who may use cognitive reserves to mask early decline.
Dementia Health Tech Horizon Scan
The latest Dementia Health Tech Horizon Scan published by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London, as part of a collaboration with NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Health, offers an overview of some of the most promising products and innovations in the field for accurate and timely dementia diagnosis.
In particular, many of these innovations address the twin challenges of achieving definitive dementia diagnoses while also improving equitable access to diagnostic testing.
Digital technology – AI and remote assessments
Digital technology is also playing a key role in reshaping how dementia is diagnosed. Approximately 60% of the innovations identified in the horizon scan indicate the use of AI.
Remote cognitive assessments are being developed to allow patients to complete tests at home.
If successfully implemented, these tests could reduce the pressure on specialist services, making it easier for those in rural or underserved areas to access early diagnostic support. While many of these technologies remain in the early stages of development, the potential for widespread impact is significant.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based solutions
In the horizon scan, cutting-edge MRI-based technologies stand out as particularly promising.
Emerging techniques now make it possible to detect subtle shifts in brain structure and blood flow, signalling the dementia in its earlies stages.
This advancement could mark a significant step forward in enhancing both the accuracy and accessibility of brain imaging for dementia diagnosis.
Novel diagnostic tests
Novel diagnostic tests using accessible body fluids have the potential to transform the way dementia is detected.
Traditional methods of diagnosis include the cerebrospinal fluid tests via a lumbar puncture, which are invasive and uncomfortable.
Early research suggests that blood, saliva, stool, and even tears potentially hold dementia-related biomarkers. This opens the doors to the possibility of a future where routine screening methods for dementia become widely accessible.
Next steps
Every year, tens of thousands of people are diagnosed with dementia in the UK. Unlocking the potential of the next generation of disease-modifying drugs to help these patients rests upon expediting the progress of effective early diagnostic testing.
Achieving this requires collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem.
The NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Brain Health and the HIN South London are already working together to increase the spread and adoption of innovations in healthcare across large populations, at pace and scale.
Our call to stakeholders across services, systems and pathways is to join this cause – now is the time to come together to trial, develop and deliver the progress needed in dementia diagnosis.
