Programme vision

The Dementia Trials Accelerator (DTA) vision is for the UK to become the destination of choice for late-phase clinical trials in dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.

The aims of the DTA are to:

  1. Increase trial recruitment by identifying potential participants in trials by creating a “biomarker toolbox”. This toolbox will incorporate one or more of: genetic or clinical risk scores, blood-based biomarkers, and clinical measurements of subjects living with or at risk of dementia and related neurodegenerative disorders.
  2. Work with existing UK patient or population cohorts to approach people for clinical trials to identify potential participants.
  3. Accelerate low-cost identification of potential participants in dementia and neurodegenerative trials with community-based, digitally-enabled, trial pre-screening .
  4. Accelerate collaborative neurodegenerative research through assembly of a secure UK-wide AI-enabled data platform that makes multi-dimensional FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) through trustworthy and secure data environment(s).
  5. Prioritise the needs of industry innovators, patients and the public with an iterative engagement with stakeholders.

Service required

The Brain Health Community Assessment for Trials Service is central to this vision. It will provide pre-screening for a range of dementia and neurodegenerative clinical trials close to where people live as recommended in the O’Shaughnessy Review.  The appointed provider will deliver comprehensive services, including:

  • Participant appointment and consent management
  • Blood sample collection by community-based phlebotomy services
  • Secure preparation, storage, and transportation of samples to designated UK locations
  • Data collection and secure sharing with contracting authorities

The service required will be a pilot, initially operating across 4–10 locations in England, Scotland, and Wales, with plans to expand to underserved areas. The aim is to identify approximately 10,000 potential trial participants over one year.

Providers must ensure accessibility by offering flexible appointment times, including evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. They must also comply with regulatory standards for sample handling, participant confidentiality, and data security.

This procurement marks the first phase of a broader initiative.

Market Engagement Invitation

HDR UK and UK DRI wish to invite any interested providers to engage with us prior to a procurement in early 2025.  The purpose of engagement will be to gain provider input into:

  • Determine the level of provider interest
  • Inform development of service specification/s and collaborative service delivery options
  • Procurement process design
  • Help enable providers to participate in the process
  • Help inform the commercial model and contract terms

Further engagement

Please view the short video below, posted on 6 December 2024, for additional details.

Please note that following significant response to the Prior Information Notice, as of 19 December 2024, no additional one-to-one meetings will be scheduled. Engagement meetings have taken place in December and are scheduled in January 2025 with no further capacity for new meetings to be arranged.

Whilst no further one-to-one sessions are available, HDR UK and UK DRI remain open to interested parties expressing their interest and to engage with this market engagement process through responding to a simple Request for Information questionnaire.

To respond to this invitation and participate in market engagement, please email procurement@hdruk.ac.uk referencing Dementia Trials Accelerator to be issued with a simple Request for Information questionnaire.

This invitation is announced via a published Prior Information Notice on the Find a Tenders Service website.

 

About Health Data Research UK (HDR UK)

Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) is the national Institute for data science in health.

Our vision is for large-scale data to benefit every interaction with patients, every clinical trial and every biomedical discovery, and to transform public health. The UK is in a unique position to realise the potential of health data, thanks to the NHS and its cradle-to-grave records for a population of over 65 million people.

Safe and secure use of this data could improve treatments, deliver better health care and save lives. It could help tackle some of the biggest health challenges worldwide, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

However, access to this data for researchers is often a lengthy, fragmented process, meaning the potential for improving healthcare is far from being realised in full.

We work in partnership with the NHS, industry, charities and universities to realise the potential of the UK’s health data in life-changing research. Patients and the public are actively involved in shaping HDR UK’s work and ensuring it delivers public benefit.

About UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI)

The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) is a globally leading multidisciplinary research institute of over 1000 scientists, dedicated to transforming the lives of people living with or at risk of neurodegenerative conditions. UK DRI is accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of solutions that will help diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent dementia.

Established in 2017 by its principal funder the Medical Research Council, the Institute is nationally hosted across six leading UK universities: University of Cambridge, Cardiff University, University of Edinburgh, Imperial College London, King’s College London and UCL.

UK DRI works closely with people with lived experience of dementia and has strategic partnerships with Alzheimer’s Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK, LifeArc, British Heart Foundation and NIHR as well as industry partners.