Revolutionary new blood test for Alzheimer’s could speed up diagnosis

A revolutionary blood test, set to transform how Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed, could save the NHS time and money.

A clinical trial for the blood test is now welcoming its first participants, who will be recruited via memory clinics across the UK.

Dementia is now the number one cause of death in the UK, yet experts estimate a third of people with a form of the degenerative brain condition have not been diagnosed.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) are investigating whether a blood test that measures a protein associated with Alzheimer’s – a neurodegenerative disease and most common form of dementia – can improve how Alzheimer’s is diagnosed on the NHS.

“We now have a blood test for Alzheimer’s disease that is backed by strong scientific evidence and provides comparable information to other gold-standard diagnostic tests such as PET scans and lumbar punctures yet is far more accessible, and cheaper,” said Professor Jonathan Schott, professor of neurology at UCL, and chief medical officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Alzheimer’s disease is linked to the build-up of the proteins amyloid and tau in the brain. In Alzheimer’s, amyloid sticks and forms plaques in the brain, eventually causing brain cells to die, while tau tangles inside the brain’s neurons – both leading to the onset of dementia symptoms.

The blood test looks for the presence of p-tau217, which reflects the presence of both amyloid and tau in the brain.

Research suggests that blood tests such as plasma p-tau217 can detect these proteins as accurately as current methods such as amyloid PET scans and lumbar punctures.

Although these blood tests are not standalone diagnostic tools, they could be used as part of a wider clinical assessment to confirm the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease for people who already have memory or thinking problems.

The blood test has the potential to offer a less invasive, more accessible, and cost-effective alternative to current specific tests for Alzheimer’s.

Currently, lumbar puncture and PET scan test can each cost about £1,500, in comparison to a £100 blood test.

These methods are also rarely used in memory clinics, with just 2 per cent of people having a PET scan or lumbar puncture to confirm an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Researchers at UCL have already assessed the p-tau217 blood test, which is now established in the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery’s NHS clinical laboratory. But the team is now assessing the accuracy of the test, as well as how cost-effective and suitable it is for NHS memory services.

Recruitment for the trial already started in Essex last month and 19 additional specialist NHS centres are planned to take part across the UK.

All of the 1,100 participants in the study who have mild to moderate impairment cognitive impairment will receive a standard initial assessment. Half of the participants will then receive their blood test results within three months of being assessed for the first time, while the other 550 people will get their results after 12 months.

The team will assess whether providing results earlier helps speed up diagnosis, guides decisions about further investigations, and influences how both patients and clinicians interpret and respond to the results.

However, researchers warn the blood test is a long way off being used to predict if someone will develop Alzheimer’s in the future.

“Dementia is the healthcare challenge of our generation and it will take a society to beat it,” said Professor Fiona Carragher, chief policy and research officer at Alzheimer’s Society.

She described this new trial as “pivotal” and stressed too often, dementia is diagnosed late, limiting access to support, treatment, and opportunities to plan ahead.

“Blood tests could offer a faster and more accessible route to diagnosis. The Blood Biomarker Challenge is committed to building the evidence needed to bring these innovative tests into NHS care, delivering real benefits for people living with dementia and their families,” Professor Carragher added.

Those affected by dementia shared their hopes for the impact of the blood test trial.

“A blood test like this would have helped to make a diagnosis right at the start and would have made a real difference to us. Hopefully initiatives like the Blood Biomarker Challenge will pave the way to change for other people in the future,” said Michael White, 75, who cares for his wife Kathryn.

Kathryn White, 74, added: “It took so long to receive a diagnosis of dementia. We knew there was something wrong and I was doing things like getting lost in places I was familiar with. It was a relief, in many ways, to have a diagnosis because it helped to make sense of it. The hardest thing for me has been having to stop driving.”

England deliver on Tuchel’s vision with five-goal rout of Serbia

Thomas Tuchel said he was looking forward to this, and you can now see why. He’s at last given England something to look forward to, and that goes beyond just being at the World Cup next summer.

This 5-0 win over Serbia should make qualification a certainty given that Tuchel’s side are seven points clear of second place with just three games left, but more important was the manner of it. It was, really, a perfect night – right down to three players enjoying their first international goals.

This was what England had been waiting for. This, finally, was Tuchel’s England. They were disciplined in structure and then dynamic in attack, exactly what he has long idealised.

From a confidently controlled display, England repeatedly released attacks that a notionally robust Serbia struggled to deal with. They were so harried that Nikola Milenkovic was forced into a desperate red-card lunge on Harry Kane at 3-0.

The centre-piece goal, to make it 2-0 before half-time, felt like a launch moment for both scorer Noni Madueke – his first for England – and the manager. It was precisely what you’d imagine when you see such sleek talent. Madueke himself got things moving with a ball to the assured Elliot Anderson, whose through ball was then uproariously flicked on by the superb Morgan Rogers. Madueke was left through on goal to lift the ball over Dorde Petrovic, a fittingly soaring finish for such a move.

It’s the moment that now sets the standard for what this England can be. The most difficult fixture did indeed bring out the best in the team, as both Tuchel and Kane had promised.

It is probably instructive that they scored more goals in one match against Serbia than they did in two against Andorra.

A proper test was required. Too many of the previous games had been tepid fixtures that just weren’t going to enliven the team. This got everyone going.

Except, it must be said, the Serbian crowd. England never really had to endure that “famous atmosphere”, as the away fans goaded. It wasn’t even like the team killed it with Kane’s 33rd-minute header from Declan Rice’s corner. The noise never came, at least not for England.

Part of that might have been because of the reduced crowd due to a previous punishment, which also led the Serbian federation to appeal to fans to behave themselves.

Part of it might have been that minds were mostly occupied by local issues. The entire game had been framed by protests against the government, and local media even spoke of how the situation led to further criticism for their manager – and legendary player – Dragan Stojkovic. Long before the end, most of the stands had almost as many seats visible as the empty area.

There was some crowd unrest, as well as politically-charged chants about Kosovo. That, like much of the occasion, didn’t really concern the England players. They just got on with it.

There was even a sense, around the 26th minute, of the players just realising they were the superior side, and upping the intensity. Anthony Gordon scorched through the backline, Rogers opened it with one supreme turn.

The game felt almost as significant for the Aston Villa creator as it did for Madueke or Tuchel himself. Given how terrifically in tune England were, Rogers now has as reasonable a claim to that central position as Jude Bellingham or even Cole Palmer.

Their very status means such a call may raise eyebrows, but international teams aren’t supposed to be about names. They’re supposed to be about cohesion. England have found that and more with this attack.

Tuchel now has a very enjoyable puzzle to figure out. There won’t be any talk that he doesn’t know his team now, or at least not for some time. His four changes were vindicated.

This was why you could describe it as perfect. Tuchel’s England haven’t even conceded a goal in competitive fixtures.

At the other end, there was almost every type of strike you’d want, bar an indulgent long-range effort. The opening goal was also from a set piece, which is appropriate given what Tuchel said before the game about using old weapons. He just ensured that England showed they were about much more than that.

Serbia’s issues were admittedly showcased by that Kane goal, as a physically imposing defence somehow left such a striker with a free header from a set piece.

Madueke’s goal almost immediately made it more than just a win, before the rest of the team made it more than a “statement”. It was a rout.

England were giving Serbia such a pummelling that a series of drives at Petrovic eventually just saw Ezri Konsa turn in the third for his first international goal. Marc Guehi enjoyed a similar strike after the red card, before substitute Marcus Rashford added even greater gloss to the final scoreline with a penalty.

The stadium was by then almost empty. Tuchel and his England had offered as complete a performance as you’d want.

Keir Starmer creates ‘Budget board to boost economic growth’

Sir Keir Starmer has launched a “Budget board” to boost economic growth and keep businesses and City leaders appeased, according to reports.

As part of his reset following Angela Rayner’s resignation last week, the prime minister plans to refocus the Cabinet on pro-growth policies with a new board that will link top ministers and 10 Downing Street officials with the Treasury.

The board will be chaired by Mr Starmer’s new economic advisor Baroness Minouche Shafik, a former Bank of England deputy governor, and Treasury minister Torsten Bell, who will meet weekly, according to the Financial Times.

The panel will face the task of coordinating pro-growth policies between now and the Budget, which is set to take place on 26 November.

The prime minister’s new board will also comprise of key business voices in a recognition that the next few months could strain relations with corporate Britain.

Baroness Shafik will play a key role on the panel, as will Darren Jones, former Treasury minister and current “chief secretary” to the prime minister. Morgan McSweeney and Katie Martin – chiefs of staff to Starmer and Reeves respectively – will also form the budget team in order to improve the handling of politics around the Budget. Business advisor Varun Chandra will also sit on the panel.

Ben Nunn, the chancellor’s press chief, will sit alongside Tim Allan, former press aide to Sir Tony Blair and the new Number 10 communications chief, in order to improve the media handling of the Budget, which is seen as pivotal for Starmer’s government.

This comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s first Budget last October caused a rift with the business sector as she increased employers’ national insurance by £25 billion and sanctioned a big rise in the minimum wage. Already, Business and the City are bracing for higher tax, according to the FT, as Reeves seeks to fill a fiscal hole of at least £20 billion.

Starmer’s allies said that the Budget board was jointly agreed with Reeves to focus on measures to boost growth while keeping open lines of communications with business ahead of a tax-raising Budget, the FT said.

They reported that one Labour official said: “This is about putting more weight behind a pro-business Budget. We have to reassure business that we are not just going to keep taxing to spend.”

Another said: “The Budget board will funnel into the decisions that the prime minister and chancellor take. We don’t want to find ourselves in a difficult position with business again.”

The Independent has reached out to the Treasury for comment.

Starmer reshuffled his Cabinet earlier this week, which saw Yvette Cooper become foreign secretary, Shabana Mahmood become home secretary, and David Lammy fill the role of deputy prime minister. Liz Kendall will take on the role of science, innovation and technology secretary, while Peter Kyle will fill the role of business secretary and Pat McFadden will lead the Department for Work and Pensions.

Man arrested after Heathrow airport incident that sparked evacuation

A man has been arrested after an incident at Heathrow Airport that led to an evacuation of Terminal 4 on Monday evening.

Emergency services were scrambled on Monday before 5pm after reports of a “potential hazardous materials incident” at Europe’s busiest airport, which closed Terminal Four for three hours.

Metropolitan Police specialist officers attended the scene alongside the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service.

A 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and causing a public nuisance on Tuesday after specialist officers found a canister of what is believed to be CS spray.

The spray is used by UK police forces as a temporary incapacitant spray to subdue people who may pose a risk to themselves or others, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

It may be dispersed in a smoke cloud or dissolved into liquid (the solvent methyl iso-butyl ketone) to be used as a spray. It is also used by the military in training operations and for testing gas masks.

The force said it thought that the substance in the canister is what caused irritation to passengers.

The suspect remains in police custody, the force said, adding that the incident is not being treated as terrorism related and an investigation remains on-going.

Dozens of flights were delayed and thousands of travellers were affected by the incident at Terminal 4 of Europe’s busiest airport on Monday evening, as the airport advised passengers not to travel to Terminal 4, while National Rail said trains were unable to call at the terminal because of the incident. Transport links to the airport were already affected by London Underground strikes.

The LFB said it was first called about the incident at 5.01pm and that crews from Feltham, Heathrow, Wembley and surrounding fire stations had attended.

As specialist emergency teams in hazmat suits entered the terminal, the crowds outside grew, and staff handed out foil blankets to passengers as temperatures began to fall.

Witnesses said they were confused as “no one really knew what was going on”. At 8pm, Heathrow said it was standing down the incident and allowing passengers back into the terminal. But by then, flight schedules were in disarray.

The incident comes months after Heathrow airport closed following an “unprecedented” electrical substation fire that halted 1,300 flights.

London Heathrow is the UK’s busiest airport, and just last month it recorded its busiest day ever. The airport saw more than a quarter of a million passengers pass through its four terminals – a total of 270,869 passengers – on 1 August.

The moment Johnny Cash convinced Louisa Young to change her life

Acclaimed novelist Louisa Young has revealed that country music legend Johnny Cash played a pivotal role in shaping her career path.

Young recalled interviewing the American singer in the 1980s and explained how a single piece of advice pushed her towards becoming a writer. Cash, she said, was initially gruff and reluctant to engage, describing the encounter as a “jukebox session”. But after realising she was a genuine fan, he began to warm to her.

She shared the story while appearing on Like This Love This, The Independent’s podcast where special guests tell Lucie McInerney about the books, films, TV shows and podcasts they can’t stop recommending.

Young remembered Cash telling her: “You’ve gotta be who you are; whatever you are, you’ve gotta be it.” The words stuck with her. “I’m not a journalist,” she thought. “I want to write books and if I want to write books, I have to write books. Johnny Cash told me, so onwards and upwards.”

An English novelist, biographer and former journalist, Young is known for her works My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You, Twelve Months and a Day and You Left Early: A True Story of Love and Alcohol.

Her first book, published in 1994, was a biography of her grandmother Kathleen Scott titled A Great Task of Happiness. In her twenties, she worked as a freelance feature writer for national publications including The Guardian, The Sunday Times and Marie Claire.

Her latest project is a trilogy continuing Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles, which follows the Cazalet family’s summers in the Sussex countryside.

Cash, meanwhile, remains immortalised in music history. His career spanned from 1954 until his death in 2003, producing more than 100 albums. In the 1990s and 2000s, he experienced a late renaissance working with producer Rick Rubin on the American Recordings. That period produced his now-iconic cover of Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt, regarded as one of the greatest interpretations in modern music.

The full episode of Like This Love This is out this Thursday (11 September) wherever you get your podcasts.

How Macmillan Cancer Support built a movement that reaches everyone

Trump White House backs analysis of ‘Donald’ signature in Epstein book

Republican lawmakers rushed to Donald Trump’s defense after the House Oversight Committee on Monday released a sexually suggestive letter allegedly signed by the president in 2003 and sent to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.

Democrats blasted Trump, with Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin calling the document “sickening.” The White House, however, claimed it’s “fake news.” Reached by phone on Tuesday morning, Trump told NBC News it was a “dead issue” and declined to comment further.

The Wall Street Journal first reported in July about the letter and accompanying drawing of a nude woman, punctuated by a swiggly “Donald” allegedly mimicking pubic hair. Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein case and vehemently denies authoring the note.

The letter was part of a birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein in 2003, when he and Trump were friends. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released the birthday book Monday after receiving a tranche of documents from Epstein’s estate.

Top White House aides pointed to discrepancies between the letter and Trump’s current signature, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying they would back a handwriting analysis of the birthday card.

Trump went to dine at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Tuesday night to promote his federal takeover of local police. Outside the restaurant, Trump told reporters, “You’re wasting your time” with the birthday card allegations.

Revealed: Areas where housebuilding has fallen hardest

Two large Labour-run council districts in Greater London have seen housebuilding plummet in the past year, latest figures suggest, as the challenge set by the government for new homes across the country grows.

Ahead of coming into government, Sir Keir Starmer announced his party would build 1.5 million new homes by 2029. It is a goal Angela Rayner, who resigned as housing secretary on Friday, said there would be “no excuses” not to meet.

However, government estimates suggest that at least 186,000 additional dwellings have been delivered since Labour was elected, up to June this year – over half of the 300,000 required to achieve Labour’s bold manifesto pledge.

This week, new housing secretary Steve Reed was expected to bring together developers and house builders in a bid to speed up developments.

Meanwhile, separate data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) this month gives an indication of the number of homes completed at a local authority level in the year up to March, compared to the year before.

Analysis of the figures provides a list of the council areas with the steepest falls in new properties.

These figures are likely to be an undercount of supply as they cover most, but not all, large house-building projects. The data is still considered a “timely leading indicator of housing supply”, says the ONS, based on data from building control inspections by local authorities and approved inspectors.

The ONS does warn that local figures can be volatile due to an uneven distribution of house building, both geographically and over time.

At the top of the list was the Labour-run Islington council, with a 90.2 per cent reduction in new homes completed, according to the data.

The council, where more than 16,000 people are on a waiting list for social housing, also saw the number of homes started on plummet between the two periods.

Also in the top six worst areas for a slump in completed homes were the Labour-run councils of Hounslow, which came fourth with a 78 per cent fall and Luton, which was sixth with a 76.6 per cent drop.

Hung Harlow council was third with an 83 per cent drop (470 to 80), and Slough council with a 77.3 per cent reduction (220 to 50).

In a bid to meet Labour’s pledge to build 1.5 million homes this Parliament, ministers have been pushing to introduce new measures, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which includes planning reforms to make it hard to reject developments.

However, there are one million planning permission applications for homes that have gone unbuilt in England, with 250,000 in London, a debate in the Hord of Lords heard in June.

Housebuilder Bellway claimed it was continuing to face delays to planning decisions due to the time local councils were taking to adopt new local plans. Nevertheless, the company said it had sold more homes over the past year, with 8,749 sales completed compared to 7,654 the year before.

A spokesperson for Mr Reed told The Independent: “These figures are not good enough. They show the scale of the housing crisis we have inherited after the previous Tory government scrapped mandatory housing targets.

“The Housing Secretary will leave no stone unturned to build 1.5 million homes as part of our Plan for Change.”