Dementias Platform UK Cohort Tau Imaging (DPUK Tau) 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing models of AD risk and progression in Existing Cohorts using Tau PET imaging in combination with prospective follow-up
IRAS ID
256394
Contact name
Paresh Malhotra
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Imperial College London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
This study (DPUK Tau) will use a new type of brain scan to study the changes that occur at the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. It is now clear that brain changes at a microscopic level occur over ten years before Alzheimer’s symptoms. Until recently, it was impossible to examine these changes in the living brain. However researchers have developed PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans using radioactive tracers that show Alzheimer’s brain changes at very early stages. The first type of these tracers shows levels of Amyloid- deposition of amyloid protein is a critical stage at the beginning of Alzheimers. Abnormal build-up of a second protein, Tau, is an intermediate stage between amyloid buildup and the beginning of memory symptoms but the exact links between these stages is not yet clear.
There are several studies that are testing hundreds of healthy adult participants over time, examining memory and also assessing amyloid buildup through amyloid PET scans. Two major such studies taking place in the UK are PREVENT and AMYPAD (Participants from the PREVENT Research Programme are invited to join a separate study (Amyloid Imaging in PREVENT (AIP) ) examining amyloid levels using PET scans). These studies will tell us how amyloid buildup relates to the development of memory and thinking problems. The Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) Tau study will allow us to carry out additional Tau PET scans in 100 people involved in PREVENT and AMYPAD. This will give us greater understanding of the processes that lead to memory and thinking problems in Alzheimer’s. This is an MRC-funded study involving the seven MR-PET scanning sites that make up the DPUK imaging network. This will ensure that participants will not have to travel far for scans, and that we will have a harmonized approach to scanning across all sites.
REC name
London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/0875
Date of REC Opinion
26 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion