The study targets earlier detection, prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions including rare dementias
FREMONT, Calif. and HELSINKI, Finland, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alamar Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALMR) and Nightingale Health Plc (Nasdaq Helsinki: HEALTH, OTCQX: NHLTY, NGHLF) today announced the launch of the UK Biobank vanguard study to measure blood-based biomarkers that are of particular importance for neurodegenerative disease. The UK Biobank Proteomics for Risk Identification and Signatures of brain health in Midlife (UKB-PRISM) study will be conducted in Nightingale’s laboratories using Alamar’s NULISA platform, which is purpose-built to detect low-abundance proteins at a sensitivity not previously achievable at scale, and will measure hundreds of circulating protein biomarkers in 80,000 blood samples from UK Biobank participants. Findings will create one of the world’s largest open-access resources for understanding the early molecular indicators of neurodegeneration.
“Understanding how the brain stays healthy as we age is one of the biggest challenges in medical research,” said Dr. Adam Lewandowski, deputy chief scientist at UK Biobank. “Proteins play a vital role in this process, helping to repair tissue, regulate inflammation and support countless functions throughout the body. Yet we still know relatively little about how they work together to influence brain health. Made possible by the generosity of our participants, these new data will provide an invaluable snapshot of the proteins associated with brain health decades before conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease are diagnosed.”
Neurodegenerative disease represents one of medicine’s most urgent unmet needs. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia affect more than 55 million people globally and are on track to nearly triple by 2050. Parkinson’s disease, the world’s fastest-growing neurological disorder, affects more than 12 million people today and is projected to exceed 25 million by 2050. In both diseases, biological changes may begin years before diagnosis. By measuring proteins of individuals long before symptoms emerge, this study creates a rare opportunity to understand Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s as overlapping conditions with shared biological roots and to identify the earliest molecular signals when intervention is still possible.
“For decades, the earliest biology of neurodegeneration has been out of reach in blood because the proteins that matter most are present in such small amounts. NULISA was designed to change that,” said Yuling Luo, PhD, founder, CEO and chair of Alamar Biosciences. “Working with Nightingale and UK Biobank, we can now measure those signals across tens of thousands of people, years before symptoms appear, and give researchers everywhere a new way to ask when and why these diseases begin.”
“This study reflects what Nightingale has built: a laboratory platform that delivers high-quality blood biomarker data at population scale. We have already generated metabolomic data on all 500,000 UK Biobank participants, and adding brain health protein biomarkers measured in our laboratories to the same cohort creates a uniquely rich resource for understanding the earliest molecular changes behind dementia, Parkinson’s disease and related conditions. Identifying disease risk years before symptoms appear is the foundation of preventive healthcare, and studies like this show it can be done at the scale that real impact requires,” said Teemu Suna, founder and CEO of Nightingale Health.
The study is funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, LifeArc, and other funding partners, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027. Combined with UK Biobank’s uniquely rich imaging, genetic, metabolomic and lifestyle data, these new data will create a powerful resource for researchers worldwide, helping to unlock discoveries that could lead to earlier detection and better treatments for these conditions. Following its completion, the full dataset will be made available to approved researchers worldwide through the UK Biobank Research Analysis Platform.
“The scale of this study, combined with the cutting-edge technologies being used, has the potential to transform our understanding of how dementia starts and progresses,” said Dr. Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK. “Understanding the biological changes that underpin Alzheimer’s disease is essential to developing treatments that can slow or stop its progression. We’re excited by the potential of this study to pave the way for earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments.”
“Rare dementias can be particularly difficult to diagnose, with symptoms that overlap with other conditions and clues that may only become clear when different kinds of health data are brought together,” said Sam Barrell, CEO of LifeArc. “By combining large-scale protein measurements with UK Biobank’s extensive health data, this study will give researchers a valuable resource to investigate the biological changes behind neurodegenerative diseases, including rare dementias. This could help build a better understanding of these conditions and lay the groundwork for more accurate diagnosis in the future.”
About Alamar Biosciences
Alamar is a commercial-stage proteomics company establishing a gold standard in protein detection and analysis. Leveraging our proprietary NULISA™ technology and the ARGO® HT System, our platform is designed to detect protein biomarkers at extremely low concentrations in blood with ultra-high sensitivity, high specificity, flexible multiplexing, broad dynamic range and seamless automation. We refer to this combination of features as “Precision Proteomics,” and believe it fills a critical gap in the field of advanced proteomics, helping researchers unlock the full spectrum of protein biomarkers across disease states. Learn more at alamarbio.com.
About Nightingale Health
Nightingale Health’s technology is validated in over 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific publications and is used in many of the world’s leading health studies, including the UK Biobank. In Finland, the Nightingale Health Check is in nationwide healthcare use, and over 250,000 people have already received their results. Nightingale Health operates globally with a parent company in Finland and subsidiaries in countries such as Japan, the United States, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, and has customers in more than 34 countries across healthcare and medical research. The company’s Series B shares are listed on the Main Market of Nasdaq Helsinki and on the OTCQX International market. Read more at nightingalehealth.com.
Forward Looking Statements
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