A faster and fairer dementia diagnosis using blood tests and digital tools

Lead Investigator: Dr Joseph Kwon 

Institution: University of Oxford

Grant type: Postdoctoral Fellowship

Start date: April 2026

Duration: 48 months

Amount: £357,398.49

Summary sentence:

Research led by Dr Joseph Kwon at the University of Oxford will test how blood tests and digital tools, using data from the SANDBOX pilot study, could speed up dementia diagnosis, improve accuracy, and make access to support fairer across the UK.

Short description (100 words):

Research led by Dr Joseph Kwon at the University of Oxford will test how new blood tests and digital tools could improve dementia diagnosis. Dr Kwon will analyse data from a UK pilot study called SANDBOX, where these tests are used before a memory clinic appointment to help prioritise who needs further assessment. 

He will also survey doctors and adults aged over 50 to understand what influences decisions to seek a diagnosis. 

Finally, Dr Kwon will build a computer model to explore the cost and fairness of rolling out this triage approach using blood tests and digital tools out across the NHS. In the future, this could help people get diagnosed faster, access support sooner, and reduce inequalities in care.

Long description (250 words):

Research led by Dr Joseph Kwon at the University of Oxford aims to improve how dementia is diagnosed by testing a new approach that uses blood tests and digital tools in the pathway, after people are referred by their GP for further assessment.

At the moment, getting a dementia diagnosis can take time, and access is not always equal. In this study, researchers will explore a “triage” system where people referred by their GP can first take a blood test and complete simple digital cognitive tasks before attending a memory clinic. These tools aim to help identify who is most likely to have dementia and prioritise them for further assessment.

To understand how well this works, the Dr Kwon will analyse data from an existing UK pilot study called SANDBOX. This will show whether the approach can accurately detect dementia, predict future changes, and reduce waiting times from referral to diagnosis. He will also carry out surveys with 250 GPs and 1,000 adults aged 50 and over to understand what affects their decisions to begin a dementia assessment, including how people feel about new types of tests.

Using all of this information, Dr Kwon will build a computer model to estimate the cost, benefits, and fairness of introducing this ‘triage’ approach across the NHS. This includes understanding whether it could improve access to diagnosis for people from underserved communities.

If successful, this research could help people affected by dementia receive a diagnosis earlier, access the right support sooner, and ensure that new diagnostic tools are introduced in a way that benefits everyone fairly.