EditorialHong Kong’s world-first Alzheimer’s blood test will strengthen city’s healthcare

This breakthrough in screening marks another step in Hong Kong’s broader moves to identify and tackle health problems early

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Professor Nancy Ip, president of HKUST, attends the press conference for the launch of the project to screen 6,000 elderly people for Alzheimer’s disease, at HKUST in Sai Kung on March 23. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 6:45am, 4 Apr 2026

The number of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has grown to more than 50 million globally. Scientists around the world continue to seek a cure for the disease, while working to develop drugs that can delay the onset of symptoms and slow its progression.

Early diagnosis, allowing careful plans to be made for the treatment and care of sufferers, is essential. Many people are unaware they have the disease. But screening has been expensive and invasive.

A scheme recently launched by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the first of its kind, is making a simple, free blood test available to 6,000 elderly residents aged between 60 and 75.

Scientists at the university led an international collaboration to develop the groundbreaking test which uses blood biomarkers to enable early detection of Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment. It has been found to have an accuracy rate of 96 per cent in identifying Alzheimer’s. This is a significant development with the potential to transform the way in which the disease is approached.

The aim of the five-year programme is to shift the treatment of Alzheimer’s from late-stage elderly patients in hospitals to earlier intervention in the community. This will help sufferers and their carers cope with the devastating impact of the disease, which affects one in 10 Hong Kong residents aged 60 and over.

The HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) scheme, which includes biomarker evaluations and advanced brain imaging for those eligible, marks another step in Hong Kong’s broader moves to identify and tackle health problems early.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}This breakthrough in screening marks another step in Hong Kong’s broader moves to identify and tackle health problems early

This breakthrough in screening marks another step in Hong Kong’s broader moves to identify and tackle health problems early