BioMIND (Biomarkers for the Molecular Identification of Neurodegenerative Dementia) - Improving Access to Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostics: A Pragmatic System Level Intervention (BioMIND 2)

The BioMIND (Biomarkers for the Molecular Identification of Neurodegenerative Dementia) pilot study was launched at Parkwood Hospital in response to national calls for implementation of biomarker diagnostics in Canada. It evaluated the feasibility, impact, and equity of introducing blood biomarker testing, lumbar punctures, and amyloid Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans into clinical pathways. The study found that the Biomarker-First pathway significantly reduced the time from referral to diagnosis (195 versus 533 days - a difference of 318 days), demonstrating the value in implementing clinical biomarkers to bypass bottlenecks created by the need for specialist assessments. Building on these findings, the next phase of BioMIND is aimed at reducing wait times for biomarker diagnostics for patients with symptoms suggestive of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early AD.

The aim is to understand these wait times to biomarker testing using a nurse-led triage support tool. Group A participants will be pre-screened using this tool that includes the eligibility criteria for the study. This will help understand, out of everybody coming to the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic (ABMC) who've indicated interest in research, which people would be eligible to receive AD biomarkers if they were clinically available. Comparison of Group A's time to diagnosis with Group B and C's, who would have had a specialist appointment within 18 months and were referred to research to receive AD biomarkers through this study.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

up to 200 participants will be included from referrals to the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic or Cognitive Clinical Research Group. Study investigators will use the CSF and amyloid PET results to complete the respective surveys.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Individual with MCI or early dementia (if not yet diagnosed, individuals with amnestic changes in memory as shown on MoCA)
  2. MoCA score must be 10 to 28 inclusive
  3. Age 50 to 90 years inclusive

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Participants who fulfill diagnostic criteria for MCI or dementia/mild or major neurocognitive disorder suspected to be due to any etiology other than AD (eg, MCI/dementia due to frontotemporal lobar degeneration, diffuse Lewy body disease, Parkinson's disease, cerebrovascular disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, head injury, drug or alcohol abuse/dependence, anoxic brain injury, etc).
  2. Presence of any neurological, psychiatric, or medical conditions associated with a long-term risk of significant cognitive impairment or dementia including, but not limited to, pre-manifest Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Down's syndrome, active alcohol/drug abuse or major psychiatric disorders including, but not limited to, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar affective disorder or current episode of major depressive disorder.
  3. Current or history within the past 2 years of psychiatric diagnosis or symptoms (eg, hallucinations, major depression, or delusions) that, in the opinion of the investigator, could interfere with study procedures
  4. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
  5. Individuals who are unable to complete assessments in the English language.
  6. Individuals who cannot provide consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Group A
Biomarker First - Participants who have not yet completed assessment at Parkwood Institute in the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic for memory concerns
Group B
Biomarker Second from Aging Brain and Memory Clinic - Participants who have completed assessment at Parkwood Institute in the Aging Brain and Memory Clinic for memory concerns and have been referred after their specialist visit to the study
Group C
Biomarker Second from Regional Partners - Participants who have completed assessment for memory concerns from a clinician outside of the Aging Brain and Memory Concern and have referred directly to the study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time from Referral to Diagnosis with biomarkers
Time Frame: Group A - under 250 days. Group B and C - under 365 days
Will be measured by number of days between referral and disclosure of results
Group A - under 250 days. Group B and C - under 365 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Develop a targeted decision support tool for the early identification of patients with MCI or early AD in Group A with diagnostic accuracy of 80% or higher
Time Frame: throughout study until completion, approximately 2 years
measured by the number of participants in Group A that are biomarker positive for AD compared to the participants who are biomarker negative for AD
throughout study until completion, approximately 2 years
evaluate the impact of biomarker results on participants
Time Frame: survey given before results and within 1 month after results are received
determined by pre and post biomarker results surveys and focus group feedback
survey given before results and within 1 month after results are received
understand the regional impact of biomarker testing
Time Frame: at time of referral
measured by number of participants enrolled in Group C compared to the number of patients referred for testing
at time of referral

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
determine the correlation between the plasma biomarker results and CSF results and amyloid PET results
Time Frame: this will be analyzed at study completion, approximately 2 years. results will be correlated at time of study procedure
measured by the percent agreement between plasma biomarker and CSF results and amyloid PET results
this will be analyzed at study completion, approximately 2 years. results will be correlated at time of study procedure
determine the correlation between clinical presentation and the sensitivity and specificity of the plasma biomarker results
Time Frame: through study completion, approximately 2 years.
measured by MoCA, ADL score, ACDS-ADL-MCI
through study completion, approximately 2 years.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

February 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 31, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 18, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BioMIND 2

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual Participant Data will only be available to local site. All study results and conclusions from the study will be shared

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.