Screening to prevent and detect cervical cancer is based on cells being brushed from the cervix into liquid preservative and examined in the laboratory under a microscope (cytology). An alternative testing strategy, screening the cells first for human papilloma virus (HPV), has been shown to lead to the detection of a larger number of treatable pre-cancerous lesions. A follow-up study of 176,464 women who had taken part in four European randomised trials that tested these screening alternatives was published online in The Lancet on 3 November 2013. HPV-based screening was found to provide 60-70% greater protection against the development of invasive cancer of the cervix than cytology-based screening.

Premature coronary heart disease can result from the inheritance of a genetic defect from one parent that raises the blood plasma cholesterol concentration from birth. If the condition familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is detected early, treatment can prevent premature disease. At present all close relatives of an affected individual are offered screening tests. A UK study published in The New England Journal of Medicine on 27 October 2016 found that screening all toddlers during a routine vaccination visit to 92 general practice surgeries identified both children and parents at risk. Of 10,095 one year old children who were tested over three years, 28 (0.3%) were found to have FH; 28 parents also had FH of whom 25 started cholesterol-lowering treatment.

Research has suggested that screening for an inherited genetic defect known as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) during routine immunization visits in early childhood could identify both children and parents at risk of premature coronary heart disease. This would be helpful as many people with this disorder are not diagnosed until they develop cardiovascular disease. The study was conducted in the United Kingdom and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers adapted a highly sensitive method of analysis to measure a brain protein called tau in blood (plasma) samples. They reported online in JAMA Neurology on 13 March 2014 that following sports-related traumatic brain injury in Swedish ice hockey players, plasma tau protein levels were higher than in control players. They hope the test can be developed to help sports physicians diagnose concussion and predict when those affected can safely return to play.