The Dementia Trials Accelerator, an initiative led by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), joins forces with the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) programme and Inuvi, to fast-track the identification and recruitment of volunteers for dementia related clinical trials.
UK dementia-related trials often face low volunteer enrolment and lengthy recruitment timelines. To address this and support the government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, the Medical Research Council (MRC) funded Dementia Trials Accelerator will streamline recruitment by helping researchers quickly identify potential participants from those who have already expressed interest.
Professor Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK, said:
“This partnership is a new and unique approach in the fight against dementia. The numbers of people eligible for, and enrolled in, dementia clinical trials remain critically low – limiting the impact of research findings. There is an urgent need for novel, data-driven strategies, to improve awareness, streamline recruitment to trials, and promote broader participation across diverse populations. Uniting academia, industry, health data science and the public in this way, will propel us forward – bringing tomorrow’s cures much closer to today.”
The REACT programme, a comprehensive monitoring study led by Imperial College London, has built a geographically diverse and representative research cohort across England – of this original group, 2.5 million participants have agreed to be recontacted for future research opportunities. This will allow REACT to follow up with individuals in key age ranges to gauge their interest in participating in dementia related clinical trials and research studies, creating a large-scale group ready for the next stage of screening.
Inuvi, a leading provider of health and diagnostic services, will then conduct additional assessments close to where people live. These assessments will complement existing health data with relevant blood-based biomarkers and cognitive tests to determine each individual’s suitability for specific clinical trials. Together, these partnerships provide a core capability and a clear, end‑to‑end recruitment process, from data‑driven identification, moving through to local health screening and ending with confirmation on who can take part.
Professor Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said:
“Efficient recruitment has long been one of the greatest challenges facing dementia research. This partnership addresses that barrier head-on and represents an important step in the Dementia Trials Accelerator’s mission to transform how we deliver clinical trials. Ultimately, this is about ensuring people at risk of or living with dementia have every opportunity to contribute to research that could change their lives.”
Looking ahead, the Dementia Trials Accelerator plans to scale this capability, with work underway to onboard further partners. By early 2027 the ambition is to have a pilot group of 10,000 pre‑screened participants ready for trial teams. This will expand opportunities for people at risk of dementia, or those in the early stages of the condition, to contribute to the development of potentially life-changing new treatments and therapeutics.
Professor Paul Elliott, Director of the REACT programme, School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said:
“The REACT studies provided invaluable information during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing authoritative data in real time on how many people were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the cause of COVID-19) and the spread of immunity in the population. With the help of these same volunteers who signed up to the programme, we can help to streamline recruitment for clinical trials and glean new insights into dementia which may one day translate into better treatments and earlier detection of these devastating conditions.”
Jonathan Benton, Chief Executive Officer at Inuvi, said:
“Inuvi is delighted to be partnering with Health Data Research UK and the UK Dementia Research Institute to support their vital work in dementia research.
“At Inuvi, we are committed to delivering scalable and reliable health assessments and phlebotomy services in a community setting that enable impactful scientific discovery. Collaborating with organisations that share our values and ambition is a privilege, and we look forward to contributing meaningfully to this important initiative and to help generate insights that will inform and improve brain health outcomes across the UK”
