Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Through HKUST’s Community-based Scheme

It is a problem affecting the lives of relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbors. An aging population means cases of  Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia are becoming more apparent in the community. This increase is motivating researchers at HKUST to seek more effective ways of supporting those in need.

The NeuroCare Community Project, launched by HKUST researchers, has adopted a different approach to the dementia issues in society.  The project aims to identify higher-risk older adults through a scientific approach delivered at the community level. 

The pioneering step is to shift care from late-stage diagnosis to earlier, proactive, community-based screening and follow-up, explains Prof. Nancy IP, HKUST President and the director of the InnoHK Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (HKCeND) at HKUST. HKCeND supports the program's execution under HKUST.

“A key element of this plan is to provide referral services for those in need, with regular follow-ups to ensure continuity of care at the community level,” said Prof. Ip.

In addition, the HKUST team will provide a biomarker blood-testing procedure that has been developed by HKUST researchers, together with appropriate brain imaging to identify changes in the brain and assess inherited risk, she added.

Communities in need

This welcome HKUST initiative could not be timelier. People aged 65 and above are expected to account for up to 30% of Hong Kong’s population by 2039. But the community-level detection of AD and dementia-related problems remains challenging. Barriers include high testing costs, invasive procedures, and limited public awareness of the value of early screening. 

Not only that, the number of Alzheimer’s cases is sure to rise.

“As the population ages, the number of AD cases also grows exponentially,” said Dr. LAM Ching-choi, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health of the HKSAR Government and a member of the Executive Council of Hong Kong. 

“It is estimated that the number of cases could reach 300,000 at its peak, comparable to the population of some districts such as Tseung Kwan O, currently with a population of 500,000,” Dr. Lam said.

Making NeuroCare work

The five-year NeuroCare Community Project adopts a structured four-stage approach. Participants receive cognitive assessments and routine blood tests, while eligible participants undergo biomarker testing and advanced brain imaging to identify early signs of Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment.

In addition, families affected by Alzheimer’s are connected to care pathways, enabling earlier intervention to better manage cognitive decline, reduce caregiver burden, and ease dementia-related anxiety.

Working with more than 40 community centres operated by over a dozen NGOs, and in collaboration with Tung Wah College, the project plans to screen 6,000 community-dwelling adults aged 60 to 75.

Among them, 2500 participants will be selected for standardised assessments including routine blood tests and Physical examinations, from which 750 will be selected for further blood tests leveraging a multiplex protein biomarker panel. In the final stage, 350 participants will undergo PET-CT and MRI brain scans for diagnosis, with a follow-up period of 2 to 3 years.

Currently, it is reported that the an average of 250 to 300 blood samples are collected per month, with 449 samples already collected during the program's first month in operation.

The earlier, the better 

This innovative approach to care for people with dementia-related conditions focuses on early identification—before clear symptoms emerge—because earlier interventions that may slow cognitive decline, even though a cure remains elusive.

For example, Dr. Kin Ying MOK, a clinician-scientist in HKUST’s Division of Life Science and Chief Medical Officer at HKCeND, points out that  dementia cases are sometimes linked to lifestyle factors, and that prompt action—controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes—could reduce pressure on patients, carers and the wider community. 

Supported by funding from the three main donating foundations, the project will use blood-based testing technology developed by HKUST to provide free screening services for eligible community-dwelling older adults. Spanning 5 years in length, the patients recruitment process is expected to be completed in the first two years 

The project began in February, so please contact the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases for more details at: https://www.hkcend.org/