Health

Nottingham Scientist Wins EU Backing for Early Alzheimer’s Detection Breakthrough

Good News Post

Jul 7, 2026 — 2 min read

Image credit Amel Uzunovic

By Science Correspondent

A University of Nottingham scientist has secured European funding to develop technology that could spot early brain changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, potentially allowing treatment to begin before significant damage occurs.

Professor Stamatios Sotiropoulos, from the university’s School of Medicine, has been awarded a 2026 Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council.

The funding is one of 182 awards made across Europe, aimed at turning early-stage research into practical applications.

Alzheimer’s disease remains one of the biggest global health challenges, with more than 10 million new cases each year and costs estimated at over $1.3 trillion.

While new drug treatments are beginning to emerge, their effectiveness depends heavily on catching the disease early.

At present, diagnosis often relies on methods such as PET scans or lumbar punctures, which can be expensive, difficult to scale, and in some cases invasive. That means many patients are not diagnosed until the disease is already well advanced.

The Nottingham team is developing a tool that uses artificial intelligence to turn standard MRI scans into detailed measures of brain health.

By comparing individual scans against large population datasets, the system is designed to pick up subtle changes that could signal the earliest stages of neurodegeneration.

The aim is to improve early diagnosis, help identify patients most likely to respond to treatment, and strengthen the selection process for clinical trials.

Professor Sotiropoulos said the funding would allow the team to explore how the technology could be developed further and moved towards real-world use, including potential commercial applications.

He said the work builds on more than a decade of research in advanced brain imaging and will be tested in collaboration with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and industry partners.

Dr Shaun Warrington, also involved in the project, said the grant would help bring advanced MRI methods closer to clinical use, allowing meaningful brain changes to be detected earlier.

EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva said the selected projects showed how fundamental research can be translated into real-world solutions with benefits for patients across Europe.

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