Imperial College London's Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission (REACT) programme has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Dementia Trials Accelerator to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in dementia research: recruiting participants for clinical trials. The collaboration, led by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), aims to transform how researchers identify and enroll volunteers for dementia-related studies.
The partnership addresses a critical bottleneck in UK dementia research, where trials consistently face low volunteer enrollment and lengthy recruitment timelines. According to Professor Andrew Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK, "The numbers of people eligible for, and enrolled in, dementia clinical trials remain critically low – limiting the impact of research findings."
Leveraging COVID-19 Research Infrastructure
REACT, launched in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, evolved into one of the world's largest and most comprehensive coronavirus monitoring studies. The programme has successfully built a geographically diverse and representative research cohort across England, with 2.5 million participants who have agreed to be recontacted for future research opportunities.
Professor Paul Elliott, Director of the REACT programme at Imperial College London's School of Public Health, emphasized the programme's proven track record: "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 and the spread of immunity in the population."
Comprehensive Screening Process
The new partnership establishes a systematic, end-to-end recruitment process designed to streamline participant identification and screening. The REACT team will 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.
Health diagnostics firm Inuvi will then conduct additional assessments close to where people live, complementing existing health data with relevant blood-based biomarkers and cognitive tests to determine each individual's suitability for specific clinical trials. This approach provides what the partnership describes as "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."
Ambitious Scale-Up Plans
The Dementia Trials Accelerator has set ambitious targets for expanding this recruitment capability. By early 2027, the programme aims to establish a pilot group of 10,000 pre-screened participants ready for trial teams, significantly expanding opportunities for people at risk of, or living with, early-stage dementia to contribute to potentially life-changing treatment and therapeutics development.
Professor Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, highlighted the partnership's strategic importance: "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."
Supporting National Dementia Goals
The initiative directly supports the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, reflecting a coordinated national effort to accelerate dementia research and treatment development. The partnership represents what Professor Morris describes as "a new and unique approach in the fight against dementia," emphasizing the urgent need for novel, data-driven strategies to improve awareness, streamline recruitment to trials, and promote broader participation across diverse populations.
Jonathan Benton, Chief Executive Officer of Inuvi, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: "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. 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."
The partnership's success could serve as a model for addressing recruitment challenges in other therapeutic areas, demonstrating how existing research infrastructure can be repurposed to accelerate clinical development in critical disease areas.
