His dad passed away on St Patrick’s Day in 2008 with Alzheimer’s followed by his mum five years later.
Mark Bingham’s dad Ernest passed away on St Patrick’s Day in 2008 with Alzheimer’s followed by his mum Muriel (pictured) five years later.(Image: )
A Belfast man who lost both of his parents to Alzheimer’s has welcomed the launch of a new trial to see whether a finger prick blood test could be used to help diagnose the disease before symptoms even appear.
Experts hope to develop a cheap and simple blood test, replacing the current invasive methods of diagnosing Alzheimer’s.
At present, a definitive diagnosis of the disease can only be given if people undergo a specialised brain scan or a lumbar puncture to remove a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. But a blood test would be much more accessible, quick and cheap and could be performed in GP surgeries.
For Mark Bingham from East Belfast, the new test would be a game-changer. Mark’s dad Ernest passed away on St Patrick’s Day in 2008 with Alzheimer’s followed by wife and mum Muriel five years later.
“I do a lot of volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Society on a number of fronts. The scary thing really is that a third of people who have Alzheimer’s or dementia aren’t formally diagnosed. Even the blood tests that they’re running now are not straightforward so this trial would be fantastic if it’s just literally a finger blood test.
“Something like that can make such a difference. One of the difficulties with dementia is that it’s not just a case of getting a diagnosis. If you don’t get a coherent one, you don’t know whether you’re dealing with Lewy bodies or vascular or Alzheimer’s, and obviously then the approach to both care and any medication that can arise is not going to impact if you can’t get a coherent diagnosis.”
The new test is led by the not-for-profit medical research organisation LifeArc and the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (Gap), with support from the UK Dementia Research Institute (UKDRI).
It aims to pick up three proteins known to be associated with Alzheimer’s. Experts will compare the results with those from standard tests.
Some 883 of the 1,000 people needed for the new study have already been enrolled globally, including from the UK, US and Canada, including a mix with no cognitive issues, those with mild cognitive impairment and some with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers will analyse blood samples for the biomarkers phosphorylated tau 217(pTau217), Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and Neurofilament light polypeptide (NfL). The trial is expected to be completed in 2028.
After losing his parents to Alzheimer’s, Mark considered various ways to fundraise as a way to give back and the winning idea came about from him playing in a rock covers band. Their singer and drummer also played in an AC/DC tribute band.
In 2013, he signed up for the Kilimanjaro trek in support of the Alzheimer’s Society. As part of the fundraising effort Mark conceived the idea of a rock concert at a venue his band (Arms of Venus De Milo) played regularly. Mark held the first Rock for Alzheimer’s gig at the Belfast Empire that year and it’s been going strong ever since, raising over £80,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society in Northern Ireland.
Rock for Alzheimer’s returns to the Empire next month on Saturday, February 14 at 8pm.
Mark added: “Incredibly this is the 13th year of ‘Rock for Alzheimer’s’. Previous sold-out gigs have featured top local rock tributes, all of whom have a personal family story to tell in relation to Alzheimer’s. In fact, this annual event won ‘fundraiser of the year’ category of The Dementia Friendly Awards in November 2017. We are proud to again host this event in Belfast, on the most romantic of evenings, as we aim to push towards £100,000 total raised!
“You’re in for a fantastic night of classic rock and music from three bands – AC?DC, Arms of Venus de Milo and The Foyer Incident – over five hours for only £20 and all that goes to the Alzheimer’s Society. The bands haven’t taken a penny since we started this in 2013 and attendees have helped raise over £82,000 to date for the charity.
“In addition to that, it’s a night of celebration as well as we put up a slideshow of photographs that people have sent in of their loved ones, past or present, that runs during the performance. So it’s an emotional night but also a celebration and a chance to enjoy yourself and remember all the good times while at the same time supporting a charity in the essential work it’s doing in the fight against dementia.”
Tickets for Rock for Alzheimer’s 2026 on Saturday, 14 February are still on sale via Ticketmaster.
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