Clinical Research Directory

BioMIND (Biomarkers for the Molecular Identification of Neurodegenerative Dementia) - Improving Access to Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostics: A Pragmatic System Level Intervention

Sponsor: London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's

Summary

The BioMIND (Biomarkers for the Molecular Identification of Neurodegenerative Dementia) pilot study was launched at Parkwood Hospital in response to national calls for implementation of biomarker diagnostics in Canada. It evaluated the feasibility, impact, and equity of introducing blood biomarker testing, lumbar punctures, and amyloid Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans into clinical pathways. The study found that the Biomarker-First pathway significantly reduced the time from referral to diagnosis (195 versus 533 days - a difference of 318 days), demonstrating the value in implementing clinical biomarkers to bypass bottlenecks created by the need for specialist assessments. Building on these findings, the next phase of BioMIND is aimed at reducing wait times for biomarker diagnostics for patients with symptoms suggestive of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early AD. The aim is to understand these wait times to biomarker testing using a nurse-led triage support tool. Group A participants will be pre-screened using this tool that includes the eligibility criteria for the study. This will help understand, out of everybody coming to the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic (ABMC) who've indicated interest in research, which people would be eligible to receive AD biomarkers if they were clinically available. Comparison of Group A's time to diagnosis with Group B and C's, who would have had a specialist appointment within 18 months and were referred to research to receive AD biomarkers through this study.

Key Details

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