Feasibility study for the use of computer game technology in the early diagnosis of Mild-Cognitive-Impairment-Alzheimer’s-Disease

This research demonstrates how a simple online web-based videogame (G:DATA; Game based Dementia Automated Test Algorithm) may provide an inexpensive, easy-to-use test that can spot the earliest signs of Alzheimer's Disease, well in advance of anything that currently exists.

It uses carefully designed virtual environments that a player must navigate and by doing so directly assesses the first brain cells that are affected by Alzheimer's Disease, undetectable by existing techniques.

G:DATA is designed to provide effective and timely concurrent screening and diagnostics, perhaps long before the effects of the disease become a burden to the patient, their family and society as whole, potentially increasing patient quality of life.

This project will endeavour to create a playable version of G:DATA and test it with patients that have early and late-stage Alzheimer's Disease alongside healthy people in a clinical setting to prove G:DATA works and can effectively screen, diagnose and distinguish between these patient groups.

The project will allow Ascentys to gain essential information to ensure:

* G:DATA can be easily used by its intended patients
* How G:DATA can be best used to ensure positive disruptive impact within existing NHS pathways to greatly raise effectiveness and efficiency of both screening and diagnosis for Alzheimer's patients and potential disease progression monitoring.

This Smart application enables Ascentys to access crucial expertise and facilities needed to explore the feasibility of this concept, our consortium comprises of:

* Durham University; Neuroscientific expertise;
* Hywel Dda Hospitals Trust; Clinical expertise and access to patient volunteers, regulatory compliance and health economics insight;
* Medipex (subcontractor); IP protection expertise.

The project is highly innovative because existing methods of screening and diagnosing Alzheimer's-Disease are highly resource intensive and expensive in terms of clinical time, effort, burden and complexity (need for multiple tests). For the patients these tests are also highly invasive (Spinal puncture, blood, PET and MRI scans), obviously daunting and suffer from a substantially growing waiting list between initial GP screening and eventual hospital diagnosis.

Our proposed G:DATA game remedies all of the shortcomings described above, providing a vastly more rapid, cheaper and convenient alternative, designed to greatly reduce clinician time and enhance accessibility to effective screening and diagnosis, identifying patients at scale needing timely care.

G:DATA could potentially be a highly exportable UK developed solution transforming the Alzheimer's Disease care pathway landscape nationally and beyond for this horrendous condition and importantly also a first step in developing a ground-breaking effective treatment.