Overview

• UCL’s ADAPT trial is enrolling about 1,100 people across roughly 20 memory‑clinic sites, with recruitment already under way in Essex.
• Participants are randomised to receive p‑tau217 blood test results at three months or after twelve months to measure impacts on diagnosis, further investigations and patient management.
• Researchers say plasma p‑tau217 reflects brain amyloid and tau and could offer a ~£100 triage option compared with PET scans or lumbar punctures that cost about £1,500 and are used in only around 2% of diagnosed patients.
• The trial is part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge funded by Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK and the People’s Postcode Lottery, with findings expected within about three years to inform NHS decisions.
• Separately, a UC San Diego study of 5,712 Hispanic/Latino adults linked higher NfL, GFAP and ptau‑181 levels to self‑reported cognitive decline, while authors stressed blood tests should complement existing assessments.