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CARE HOME


ENVIRONMENT www.thecarehomeenvironment.com


Editor Matt Seex


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Journal Administration Katy Cockle


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Publisher Geoff King


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Publishing Director Trevor Moon


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THE CARE HOME ENVIRONMENT is published monthly by Step Communications Ltd, Step House, North Farm Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 3DR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1892 779999


Finger prick blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s?


Matt Seex, Editor mattseex@stepcomms.com


Welcome to the February issue of The Care Home Environment. An international research project to test


whether a finger prick blood test could be used to help diagnose Alzheimer’s disease – even before symptoms begin – is now underway The test forms part of the Global


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Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP)’s Bio-Hermes-002 study, and is funded by LifeArc. Researchers at the UK Dementia Research Institute’s Biomarker Factory at University College London, led by Prof Henrik Zetterberg, will be analysing the tests. Alzheimer’s is currently detected using


ISSN NO. 2398-3280 ©2026 Step Communications


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expensive scans and lumbar punctures or spinal taps. This can be invasive, costly, slow, and inaccessible for those living in areas with limited healthcare infrastructure. By contrast, the finger prick test uses a simple plasma separation card, which makes testing cheaper and easier to carry out. It does not need to be refrigerated and can be stored and shipped to a laboratory for analysis at ambient temperature. Researchers will test for three known


biomarkers for Alzheimer’s – phosphorylated tau 217(pTau217), Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and Neurofilament light polypeptide (NfL). Results will be compared with a variety of other tests being developed for Alzheimer’s, including blood-based and digital biomarkers (such as speech tests,


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retinal scans, cognitive tests) as well as the gold standard PET scans and MRI scans. If successful, the test could offer a scalable, accessible, and cost-effective way to screen for the disease and enable earlier intervention. To date, GAP has signed up around 1,000


participants the UK, USA and Canada, with 30 per cent of volunteers being recruited from under-represented groups. This includes a mix of cognitively normal people, those with mild cognitive impairment, and some with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Giovanna Lalli, director of strategy


and operations at LifeArc said: “Developing cheaper, scalable and more accessible tests is vital in the battle against this devastating condition. We are committed to improving patient lives through the development of new tests and treatments, and we are excited about the prospect of a finger-prick blood test for Alzheimer’s disease because it will allow more patients to access new drugs, currently being developed, to slow disease progression in its early stages.” GAP President John Dwyer said: “The


introduction of the advanced dried blood spot test is highly anticipated and LifeArc’s involvement will significantly enhance our study. Using a simple blood test has the potential to revolutionize diagnosis by making a timely diagnosis accessible to more people, including those who have limited access to specialized healthcare.” The trial is expected to complete in 2028. I hope you enjoy the issue.


THE


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