The United Kingdom’s healthcare is undergoing a pivotal transformation, from treating illness after its onset to proactively preventing disease. This shift is redefining how health is measured, managed, and maintained and is creating opportunities for new diagnostic approaches that detect potential risks early. Diagnoptics is helping to support this transition through innovative diagnostic technology.
This shift in healthcare strategy is backed by a wave of policy reforms, research initiatives, and strategic investments. For example, in July 2025, the UK government introduced the initiative “Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England.” This blueprint prioritises early intervention, digital transformation, and community-based care. Meanwhile, in January, a £10 million initiative to harness health data for early cancer detection and personalised prevention was announced.
Diagnoptics believes that the UK’s move towards preventative care reflects growing awareness across the healthcare field that early risk identification can reduce the burden of chronic diseases on both individuals and the system at large. “Traditional metrics are still valuable, but they can miss early warning signs of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, particularly when those conditions are in a silent or preclinical phase,” says John Mulder, CEO of Diagnoptics. “Take routine blood tests, for example. They may not show signs of abnormalities despite the early presence of metabolic or vascular deterioration at the tissue level.”
In this context, the shift towards prevention is not only about improving patient outcomes. It’s also about equipping clinicians with tools that allow for more nuanced, informed, and forward-looking medical decisions.
Founded to advance non-invasive diagnostic technologies, Diagnoptics has developed tools that allow clinicians to assess long-term cardiovascular and metabolic risks with minimal intrusion and maximum immediacy. One of its innovations is the AGE Reader, a device that measures the accumulation of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) in the skin.
AGEs are proteins that have undergone non-enzymatic glycation and are linked to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Both are central contributors to the development of diabetes and vascular disease. Diagnoptics’ AGE Reader stands out for its ability to measure these markers within seconds, without the need for needles, lab analysis, or waiting periods.
When standard screening tests return inconclusive or within-normal results, AGE measurement can uncover underlying risk that would otherwise go unnoticed. “Because AGEs accumulate gradually and persist over time, a single reading can offer valuable insight into long-term tissue damage and metabolic stress,” Mulder states.
For general practitioners and other healthcare providers, this adds a new dimension to diagnostics. It transforms risk prediction from a reactive task into a forward-looking conversation. For instance, a measurement indicating elevated AGE levels may prompt further testing, confirm a clinician’s suspicion of pre-diabetic risk, or justify inclusion in a preventative care programme before the disease fully develops. “It’s a win for both patients and providers,” Mulder remarks.
AGEs are also a proven biomarker in preoperative risk assessment in cardiac surgery patients, with higher AGE levels being associated with an increased risk of death or disability during or after surgery.
It’s worth emphasising that while AGEs don’t easily reverse once formed, the goal becomes stabilising their accumulation to prevent further deterioration effectively. “In chronic disease prevention, even stabilisation is a win,” says Mulder. “It represents meaningful progress in protecting vascular and metabolic health.”
Ultimately, the ability to stratify risk quickly and with minimal effort is becoming increasingly valuable in a healthcare system that must balance efficiency with personalised care. As preventative strategies grow in prominence, tools that offer both speed and depth will be essential. The AGE Reader meets this need by offering a rapid snapshot of an individual’s long-term metabolic burden, allowing swift risk classification and targeted follow-up where needed.
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