The University of Oxford and Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) are among the partners involved in a new £20 million research hub aiming to transform how dementia is predicted, prevented and diagnosed.

Led by the University of Exeter, the BRAINIAC Hub (AI and Emerging Technologies for Next Generation Brain Health Clinics) will develop artificial intelligence and data systems to support ten new brain health clinics across the UK.

The six-year programme is funded by £10 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, with a further £10 million from industry, charity and NHS partners. It brings together 11 universities and ten NHS sites, with the first clinics expected to open from 2029.

BRAINIAC will develop AI approaches that bring together blood biomarkers, brain imaging, genetics, health records and digital cognitive assessments. These will be developed and tested within the new NHS clinics, involving more than 1,700 patients. The hub aims to make assessment and diagnosis 30 to 50 per cent faster and identify people at increased risk earlier.

BRAINIAC Director David Llewellyn, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Digital Health at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “Nearly a million people in the UK have dementia, and the hardest problem is detecting the earliest changes so we know who can benefit from treatment and prevention. The tools we build in these NHS clinics will let us pick up the first signs before symptoms show, and offer people a personalised prevention plan to help them keep their brains sharp for longer.”

Professor Vanessa Raymont

Professor Vanessa Raymont, Director of R&D at Oxford Health NHS and Director of Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) said:

“Earlier and more accurate diagnosis is vital if we are to improve outcomes for people affected by dementia. Through initiatives such as the READ-OUT study, we are already building the evidence needed to understand how innovations such as blood-based biomarkers could be used in NHS memory services. BRAINIAC provides an important opportunity to build on this wider progress, bringing together expertise in data, technology and dementia research to develop approaches for use in NHS settings.”

Find out more on the University of Exeter web site: Exeter-led £20 million hub will create ten brain health clinics to help NHS reduce dementia risk – University of Exeter News