A £20 million research initiative led by the University of Exeter aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve dementia detection, reduce risk and accelerate diagnosis across the UK. The BRAINIAC Hub, short for AI and Emerging Technologies for Next Generation Brain Health Clinics, has received £10 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation. Industry, charity and NHS partners will contribute a further £10 million. The six-year project brings together 11 universities and 10 NHS sites. Its first brain health clinics are expected to begin operating in 2029, initially accepting patients through NHS referrals.  The hub will develop AI systems capable of combining brain imaging, genetics, blood biomarkers, health records and digital cognitive assessments to create a comprehensive picture of an individual’s brain health. Researchers aim to make dementia assessment and diagnosis 30% to 50% faster and identify more than 40% of people assessed as being at early risk, before symptoms develop. The project will involve more than 1,700 patients and support research into prevention, diagnosis and treatment. BRAINIAC director David Llewellyn, a professor at the University of Exeter Medical School, said detecting the earliest changes in brain health remained a major challenge. The initiative aims to help identify people who could benefit from early intervention and personalised prevention plans. According to the university, around 982,000 people in the UK currently live with dementia. This number is projected to reach 1.4 million by 2040, with annual costs expected to exceed £90 billion. The hub also plans to train more than 200 clinicians and engineers and support 10 to 20 small companies developing healthcare technologies. Deputy director Chris Fox said early diagnosis was increasingly important as treatments emerging for dementia could be more effective when patients are identified sooner.

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