Sharing his powerful personal experience of his wife’s dementia, Sir Jackie Stewart – Formula 1 legend and Race Against Dementia founder – spoke to the BBC this week to mark the rollout of a new dementia blood test.
It’s stories like Sir Jackie’s and Lady Stewart’s – that people living with dementia experience every day, every hour – that drive our work at Race Against Dementia to find a cure, fast.
Developed by scientists at the University of Cambridge and led by Dr Maura Malpetti – a Race Against Dementia Fellow funded by the charity – the innovative blood test identifies molecular changes linked to brain inflammation, a key indicator of diseases like frontotemporal dementia, up to 10–20 years before symptoms appear. Previously only detectable through costly and time-consuming brain scans, these early signals can now be identified through blood, offering a quicker, more accessible alternative for patients.
“It’s a very exciting programme, because we’re using blood tests to help unlock treatments to slow down the progression of dementia and eventually stop it.”
– Dr Maura Malpetti
Dr Malpetti received the Race Against Dementia Fellowship in 2021, in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, for her research. Fellows join Race Against Dementia’s cohort of exceptional dementia researchers and receive training in a Formula 1-style mindset to fast-track their progress.
We depend on the generosity and kindness of supporters to fund our work at Race Against Dementia and support researchers like Maura – and a donation will help us fund and support the brightest research minds to find preventative treatments and cures for dementia – faster.
“By applying the principles of precision, teamwork, and inventiveness from Formula 1 into the world of medical research, we can more efficiently drive progress towards a cure for dementia.” – Sir Jackie Stewart