Blood Test Enters UK Primary Care Pathway for Earlier Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Alzheimer’s disease is often first suspected in primary care, yet definitive evaluation frequently depends on specialized imaging or cerebrospinal fluid testing. This creates a persistent gap between disease onset and formal diagnosis, delaying access to appropriate care and support. To help close this gap, a blood-based test is now being integrated into the United Kingdom diagnostic care pathway to support earlier and more accurate assessment.

C2N Diagnostics’ PrecivityAD2 blood test is being used by researchers in the United Kingdom to help accelerate diagnosis and clinical decision-making in primary care and among patients awaiting dementia specialty visits. The initiative is taking place through a collaboration with the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC). Imperial College London is the only UK center participating in DAC’s Accurate Dx program, which also includes four health systems in the United States, two in the European Union, and one in Japan. The UK study began recruiting patients in May.

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At the Imperial site, the study Blood Biomarkers for Early and Accurate Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease in Primary Care (BEAD-PC) embeds testing directly within primary care research sites. General practitioners in North West London are ordering PrecivityAD2 alongside standard cognitive assessments before potential referral to dementia specialists at Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service (NHS) Trust. Individuals whose results suggest early-stage cognitive impairment are directed to the Imperial Memory Unit at Charing Cross Hospital for further specialist evaluation. The design is intended to test the accuracy of the blood-based approach specifically within primary care diagnostic pathways.

PrecivityAD2 detects amyloid plaques in the brain with high diagnostic accuracy and is intended for adults aged 50 years and older who present with signs or symptoms of mild cognitive impairment or dementia. By integrating high‑performance blood biomarker testing into routine general practitioner appointments, the program aims to shorten time to diagnosis earlier in the disease course. Beyond immediate clinical aims, the study is structured to generate evidence that could inform how Alzheimer’s diagnostics are delivered at scale across the NHS and other health systems.

“The recent emergence of blood-based biomarkers having comparable sensitivity and specificity to highly specialized imaging and cerebrospinal fluid tests has been a major breakthrough in the field of Alzheimer’s disease. We are indebted to participating patients, their primary and specialist care physicians, as well as U.S.-based C2N Diagnostics as the technology partners in this study. These blood biomarkers hold the promise of transforming the diagnostic and care pathways across the globe, for the benefit of patients and their families,” said Dr. Lefkos Middleton, Professor of Neurology at Imperial.