Cambridge Cognition Ltd (CCL) develops and markets software based medical devices based upon the world leading CANTAB technology invented at the University of Cambridge. This highly validated technology is already used by many of the worlds leading researchers focussing on neurodegenerative diseases and in addition is increasingly used by pharmaceutical companies in the drug development process. A series of independent studies have demonstrated that CANTAB measures of visuospatial associative learning and semantic memory are sensitive in detecting the earliest signs of prodromal Alzheimer's disease (up to 32 months prior to clinical diagnosis) both in memory clinic attendees (Fowler et al., 1995, Fowler et al., 1997; Fowler et al., 2002; Swainson et al., 2001; Blackwell et al., 2004) and in community dwelling cohorts of individuals classified as asymptomatic using current clinical measures (De Jager et al., 2002); De Jager et al., 2005). CCL now intends to take this core technology into mainstream healthcare with a particular focus on improving the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. This is a particularly important and large unmet need which, given the impending registration of disease modifying drugs is now more urgent than ever. CCL has been gathering market research information over the past 4 years in the USA and is now in a position to start the development of a prototype software based device that will enable clinicians at both primary care and specialist levels to improve their ability to detect Mild Cognitive Impariment and to discriminate between memory loss due to depression from that due to AD.The development process will include the selection and testing of a suitable hardware platform, full software development, testing and validation to arrive at a protoype product that can be market tested with a range of clinicians. CCL expects this process to take 1 year from commencement, given adequate resourcing.CCL is submitting this proposal to the ADDF on a risk sharing basis, so that only a proportion of the full development costs would be borne by the grant. ReferencesFowler K.S., Saling M.M., Conway E.L., Semple J., Louis W.J. (1995). Computerized delayed matching to sample and paired associate performance in the early detection of dementia. Applied Neuropsychology 2: 72-78.Fowler K.S., Saling M.M., Conway E.L., Semple J., Louis W.J. (1997). Computerized neuropsychological tests in the early detection of dementia: prospective findings. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 3: 139-146.Fowler K.S., Saling M.M., Conway E.L., Semple J., Louis W.J. (2002). Paired associate performance in the early detection of DAT. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society 8: 58-71.Swainson R., Hodges J.R., Galton C.J., Paykel E.S., Semple J., Michael A., Dunn B.D., Iddon J.L., Robbins T.W., Sahakian B.J. (2001). Early detection and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and depression with neuropsychological tasks. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 12: 265-280.Blackwell A.D., Sahakian B.J., Vesey R., Semple J., Robbins T.W., Hodges J.R. (2004). Detecting dementia: novel neuropsychological markers of preclinical Alzheimer's disease. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 17: 42-48.De Jager C.A., Milwain E., Budge M.M. (2002). Early detection of isolated memory deficits in the elderly: the need for more sensitive neuropsychological tests. Psychological Medicine 32: 483-491.De Jager C.A., Blackwell A.D., Budge M.M., Sahakian B.J. (2005). Predicting cognitive decline in healthy older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 13(8): 735-740.