Science minister Lord Vallance said he believes we are on the cusp of an era where dementia could be diagnosed very early and treatments really make a difference.
He said he was “super excited” by what he had seen on a visit to the UK Dementia Research Institute in Cambridge on Thursday, and it was “a real feeling of hope”.
It comes as researchers have been given £5 million of funding to speed up dementia diagnosis and improve quality of life for those living with the condition, including through the development of “AI-powered daily routine assistants”.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) hopes the research challenge funding will mean that by 2029, more than 92% of patients could be diagnosed within 18 weeks of a doctor’s referral – up from less than half currently.
Lord Vallance said: “I think we’re on the cusp of an era where we are going to be able to diagnose very early, that will allow people to get the care and help they need.
“I also think we’re on the cusp of an era where we’re going to see interventions, treatments that really, really do make a difference.
“You put those two things together and you start to dream that actually we’ll be able to diagnose early, we’ll be able to get some treatment in early and that will delay or prevent the progression of the disease.”
He said scientists from other areas of research were coming together, applying their knowledge to dementia and “really beginning to see things that look like opportunities to get interventions that might stop the disease, prevent the disease, one day maybe even cure the disease”.
“That I think is very different from a decade ago,” he said.
Solutions could include “ramping up work on blood tests that spot the build-up of proteins associated with dementia” or “saliva analysis that notices hormone changes at the early stages of a fading memory, or even before symptoms have begun to show”, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said.
Such breakthroughs would mark a shift from traditional tests relying on noticeable signs of decline and could allow early treatment to help manage symptoms and slow progression through lifestyle changes.
DSIT said other solutions could involve the “development of AI-powered daily routine assistants” which work through smart speakers or tablet devices and learn the activities someone enjoys and their cognitive abilities.
The assistants could then help people by “suggesting brain-training exercises, offering reminders for daily tasks, helping with simple cooking instructions or facilitating video calls with family”.
One million people in the UK live with dementia and this number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040 – with one in four acute hospital beds currently occupied by a person with dementia in England.
DSIT said the Dementia Patient Flow R&I Challenge is the third of five to be announced as part of the Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme – backed by £500m in the Spending Review.
Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said the funding was a “welcome boost to UK dementia research”.
Ms Evans-Newton added: “Right now, hundreds of thousands of people living with dementia miss out on a diagnosis – and the answers, care and support that one can bring.
“That’s not just a crisis, it’s wrong. But innovations like blood tests, digital assessments and retinal scans are offering real hope, and they will soon be here.
“We are in an era of truly exciting science driving new dementia tests and treatments. To make sure people can access them, NHS dementia services must be fit for the future too, backed up by long-term investment and new clinical pathways.”
Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It’s promising to see the Government taking steps to tackle the deep-rooted challenges in diagnosis.
“By harnessing cutting-edge technology, research and innovation can lead us toward a brighter future where everyone has access to an early and accurate diagnosis and promising new treatments.”
