Gregor Russell

Marian Montanha - Blog – How We Use Biomarkers in Dementia Trials Biomarkers are changing dementia research. Marian Montanha shares how they improve diagnosis, support trials, and shape the future of Alzheimer’s care.

🟣 'Before I started working in dementia research, the word biomarker was pretty vague to me' Marian Montanha, Clinical Studies Officer.

🔵 Have a read/listen to Marian's blog to find out more about #biomarkers and their importance in #research

🔗 www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/blog-how-we-...

Finally got round to watching #TheBlackPhone last night (daughter’s insistence…)

Here’s my recipe for it:

- take Stand by Me, add equal parts Silence of the Lambs and Saw, stir in The Shining, sprinkle on Coraline, and serve with a dash of Home Alone…

Solid genre flick, 3.5/5

#movies
#horror

❓Have you ever thought about getting involved in research for #dementia #parkinsonsdisease #motorneuronedisease #HuntingtonsDisease?

✅ We are the NHS clinical trials team in Scotland and conduct research trials in the above disease areas.

💙 One of our study participants tells why they got involved

Wheat.
#stunday
#photography
#landscapephotography

I got it in Keighley! Galling, as that’s all they had, none of the normal stuff…

What foul monstrosity is this..???

Are Barrs trolling us? Just Vile 🤮

#Scotland
#IrnBru

Ah well… thought Mathieu van der Poel was going to do it… caught with 800m to go 😫 #TourdeFrance

More photos from my bike ride in the heatwave yesterday- Hawes up to #TanHill, and not a flat mile in between! Welcome refreshments at the Inn, before the Buttertubs pass in the mid day sun ☀️ 🥵 a top day out 🚲😀
#photography
#Yorkshire
#cycling

Trip to MAMBA country yesterday… Miles And Miles of Bugger All 😁 plenty of it in #Scotland, but there are decent sized tracts of it in the North Pennines too (the A66 is actually in there somewhere, lost in the landscape…)
#photography
#landscapephotography
#yorkshire

Not aware of any, Simon.

Challenge is going to be for those who develop ARIA- expertise among radiologists to recognise this (or even be aware of it) is likely to be patchy.

Early start this morning, and worth the effort. Plenty of wildlife up on the moors- oystercatchers, skylarks, buzzards, lapwings, a curlew- even a deer. And nearly managed to dodge the rain… if it had just held off another 5 minutes…!
#cycling
#Yorkshire
#wildlife

❓ Are you interested in #research for #dementia or #parkinsons but don't want to join a #clinicaltrials?

✔️Become a Partner in Research and help shape research
#livedexperiencevoice #patientandpublicinvolvement

It also feeds a perception that mental health crises aren’t “proper” health emergencies, and don’t need access to the same range of facilities as any other emergency- making it easier for future administrations to cut funding. As James Downs says, improve A&E, for all presentations 3/3
@bmj.com

…but people’s health is complex and doesn’t fit neatly into boxes- physical health issues are likely to be missed. How easy will it be to access blood tests, CT scans, even just a review by a doctor? 2/3

Important read, this- comment on proposed alternatives to #A&E for people with #mentalhealth crisis presentations. The recent history of the way the #NHS manages mental health isn’t encouraging- specialist provision sounds good… 1/3

www.bmj.com/content/bmj/...

Animal models… interesting, and some of these will hopefully translate into human therapeutics; but most won’t, and those that do will take a generation from this stage.

Sheesh. All that hard work maintaining good brain health, torpedoed by apoE4… 😫

Covariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression survival function, by verbal-numerical reasoning 'poor/average/good' status, apolipoprotein e4 genotype and incidence of Alzheimer's disease. Credit: npj Dementia (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s44400-025-00013-3

Good cognitive #health lowers risk of #Alzheimers disease later in life – but #genetics can weaken that protection gla.ac.uk/news/headlin...

#dementia #NeuroSky #science

Nice to know- but it’s a long and winding road from mouse models to effective therapeutics, and most candidate drugs get lost along the way…

I do like a generous sprig of rosemary with roast lamb though… 😁

A recent report around the rollout of social prescribing link workers in primary care services, co-authored by @annawilding.bsky.social of @manchester.ac.uk is the first to analyse the impact of the Government’s 2019 drive to increase the numbers of these workers.

bit.ly/3FQnmpI

If that is confirmed as “no”, NHS England and ICBs have got plenty of other things in their inbox (not least how to manage their termination/evisceration 😧), I think that planning at system level for future DMT readiness will struggle to get a look in 2/2

Yes- but usually these are the efforts of visionary leaders, often to support their research programmes- there needs to be engagement with the regional and ICB structures, to establish this as part of wider NHS planning. I’ve seen a bit of that- but entirely driven by the pending NICE decision 1/2

Absolutely! We don’t make the most of what we already have, and should be challenging ourselves as to how we can do better. But- it shouldn’t be either/or- the road to effective DMTs will be one of many small steps, not one great leap. If we don’t even take the first step, we will never get there

Sorry for the confusing numbering of that last series of posts- they went on longer than i expected!

Molecular & personalised medicine are here in other specialties- while repurposing existing drugs is great, I’d be very disappointed if dementia isn’t able to engage with these developments because they are deemed too expensive- partly because we never made the investment to get ready for them 4/4

As and when we get there, if we’ve already started to develop a regional infrastructure, even at a small scale, and some of the staffing and “know how”, then rolling out such a treatment will be much more feasible than starting from where we are now.
3/4

Monthly infusions for a set period rather than fortnightly and indefinite also conceivable. Clearer definition of groups who will benefit most will come. At some point the hurdle will come down far enough that having infrastructure to deliver will be the deciding factor, instead of risk/benefit. 2/3

But very expensive treatments are authorised in other specialties; and there is work ongoing which should address the shortcomings of the 2 current DMTs. Blood based biomarkers are not far away, and hopefully the next generation of amyloid therapies will have lower ARIA risk so less need for MRI 1/2

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I just don’t see it happening, unless there is something it needs to happen *for*. Lecanemab/donanemab could have been that catalyst. My sense is that the system will ‘breathe a sigh of relief’, and do precisely nothing about it now until the next potential DMT candidate lands 🙁