Zest Unveils New App-Based Brain Aging Test to Help Prevent Dementia Decades Before Symptoms Begin

Developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge, the 10-minute PREMAZ assessment is now available for free

LONDON, GREATER LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, June 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Zest, a longevity-focused biotech company, has joined forces with the University of Cambridge’s Memory Lab to introduce a powerful new app-based test to measure brain health and brain aging. The test aims to detect cognitive changes decades before symptom onset, offering a critical window to take action that could significantly delay or even prevent dementia.

According to the Lancet Commission, addressing key lifestyle and health factors could prevent or delay up to 40% of dementia cases globally.(1)

Dementia is one of the most feared and life-altering conditions associated with aging, yet there are still no tools in widespread clinical use that can detect the earliest signs of cognitive decline, the stage at which intervention could be most effective. This project, a collaboration between Zest and the Cambridge Memory Lab, aims to change that.

Although dementia is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time, it is still being diagnosed far too late. By the time symptoms appear, brain damage is often irreversible and treatment options are limited. While research has shown that up to 40% of dementia cases could be prevented through earlier lifestyle interventions like better sleep, exercise, nutrition, and social connection, people don’t know they’re at risk until it’s too late. That’s where Zest comes in.

Developed in collaboration with the Memory Lab at the University of Cambridge, the Precision Memory Assessment by Zest (PREMAZ) uses cutting-edge technology to detect subtle cognitive changes that occur decades before symptoms arise, when there’s still time to act. By enabling earlier detection and empowering people to make preventative changes sooner, this technology has the potential to dramatically reduce the number of Alzheimer’s cases and change the future of brain health.

If individuals in their 40s and 50s learn that they are showing early indicators for cognitive decline, they have time to implement preventative strategies which could almost halve the incidence of future Alzheimer's Disease.

How does PREMAZ Work?

Built on more than a decade of research from Cambridge, PREMAZ focuses on the concept of “memory precision” which explores not just whether or not you remember something, but how well you actually remember it, on a continuous scale. This “memory precision” paradigm, developed by Professor Jon Simons and his team at the Cambridge Memory Lab, has proven to be sensitive to the early changes in brain function that can appear decades before the onset of dementia. It can spot early warning signs that may go unnoticed by standard tests, making it particularly valuable for highly educated individuals where conventional screening tools often fail to detect subtle impairment.

PREMAZ focuses on the types of memory most affected in early dementia:
• Episodic memory: memory for events and experiences
• Recognition memory: the ability to tell similar objects apart
• Processing speed: how quickly the brain responds
• Executive function: decision-making and working memory

Until now, this test has only existed in clunky desktop research setups, tucked away in neuroscience labs. This new collaboration between HealthTech company Zest and the University of Cambridge’s Memory Lab has enabled the test to move from the lab bench to the app store, making it more practical and accessible to a wider population.

When Dr. Julia Cooney, a medical doctor and Zest’s founder and CEO, learned about the test; she saw an opportunity to bring this powerful tool to the public. “Our mission at Zest has always been to make preventative health more accessible and actionable,” says Dr. Cooney. “When I began working with the Cambridge Memory Lab, I immediately saw the vision for this test – a scientifically robust tool with huge potential to redefine how we screen for dementia.” This collaboration brings together Cambridge’s cutting-edge science and Zest’s ability to scale healthcare innovation with the goal of making cognitive screening as routine and accessible as cancer screening.

Professor Jon Simons, who leads the Cambridge Memory Lab and serves as the project’s scientific director, explains, “By moving this technology from the lab into people’s hands, we’re creating new opportunities for earlier detection, better interventions, and ultimately better outcomes. The sensitivity of our memory precision task means we can detect subtle memory changes at an early stage when they can still be remedied by cognitive and lifestyle interventions that may protect against further age-related decline.”

Together, the Cambridge and Zest teams have transformed the lab-based tool into a sleek, 10-minute mobile assessment that can be completed at home or in the clinic with minimal supervision. It’s now available for personal use or for licensing as a research tool for institutions.

The project builds on Zest’s wider health platform, which already allows thousands of users to discover their “Functional Age” by tracking markers of aging like cholesterol, blood sugar, and inflammation. The addition of brain health testing will round out this ecosystem, helping users take a truly whole-body approach to longevity.

With one in three people born today expected to develop dementia, and global health systems under mounting strain, the potential of early detection has never been more urgent. This collaboration isn’t just about building a better test; it’s about shifting the timeline on diagnosis and giving people a head start on brain health.

Dr Cooney concludes, “We screen for cancer, why not dementia? It’s one of the most feared consequences of aging, yet we’re still not catching it early. If we want to protect memory, independence, and identity, we need to start measuring brain aging – and measure it accurately.”



PREMAZ is now available and is free to use for individuals. Download from the Apple App Store and use it on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Download the Precision Memory Assessment by Zest, under Zest Research, on the App Store.

PREMAZ can also be licensed to research institutions and clinics for greater personalization and access to clinical datasets. For licensing information, contact info@zest.science

(1) Source: Lancet Commission https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/jul/nearly-half-dementia-cases-could-be-prevented-or-delayed-tackling-14-risk-factors

Maria Doyle
Doyle Strategic Communications
+1 781-964-3536
maria@doylestratcomm.com
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