Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Hong Kong researchers develop test that detects Alzheimer’s in 2 days

Hong Kong researchers develop test that detects Alzheimer’s in 2 days

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology experts say they have come up with a simple, non-invasive and accurate diagnostic solution for Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology have developed a blood test that can detect Alzheimer’s disease in as little as two days with more than 96 per cent accuracy, allowing early detection and screening of dementia for the first time.

Led by world-renowned neuroscientist Professor Nancy Ip Yuk-yu, vice-president for research and development at the university, the team developed an ultra-sensitive detection method with which it identifies 19 out of the 429 plasma proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“With the advancement of ultra-sensitive blood-based protein detection technology, we have developed a simple, non-invasive and accurate diagnostic solution for AD, which will greatly facilitate population-scale screening and staging of the disease,” Ip said on Monday.

Brain imaging is commonly used to identify the disease.


Professor Amy Fu Kit-yu, a core member of Ip’s team, explained: “After identifying the relevant plasma proteins, we can then find the ‘AD signature’ in the blood.

“With this, we can distinguish AD patients from healthy people with more than 96 per cent accuracy. This system can also help us differentiate among the early, intermediate and late stages of the disease.”

While the test was not a cure for the disease, Fu said, early detection would allow early management and closer monitoring to slow the rate of deterioration. “We hope this may also pave the way for novel therapeutic treatments for the disease.”

Currently, doctors mainly rely on cognitive tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in a patient. Besides clinical assessment, brain imaging and lumbar puncture are the two commonly used procedures to detect changes in the brain caused by the disease.

Fu said the cost of the blood test was not known at this stage but it could be as low as several hundred dollars, while current assessments could come with a price tag of more than HK$10,000 (US$1,282).

“Compared to a blood test, those methods are invasive and rather expensive,” Fu said. “We just need one drop of your blood and the results can be expected in two days.”

She added: “Usually patients only go to see doctors and are diagnosed when they have memory problems. But AD affects the brain at least 10 years before symptoms appear.”

The work was conducted in collaboration with researchers at University College London and local clinicians at Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth hospitals, among others.

As the most comprehensive study of blood proteins in AD patients to date, the work has been published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, and also featured on various scholarly platforms.

According to the Department of Health, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is commonly regarded as an age-related disease. In Hong Kong, 5 to 8 per cent of those aged 65 or above reportedly could suffer from the disease, and up to 30 per cent of those aged 80 or over.

With an ageing population, Hong Kong could have an estimated 280,000 Alzheimer’s patients by 2036.

Dementia is a brain disease that causes deterioration not only in patients’ memory, judgment and the ability to perform daily activities, but also their emotions and behaviour. Early signs, such as recent memory loss, difficulty in completing familiar tasks, misplacing things, are easily overlooked due to the gradual onset.

The disease affects more than 50 million people worldwide.

Among the well-known figures to have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease were the late “father of fibre optics” Professor Charles Kao Kuen, late US president Ronald Reagan, and late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×