Experts call for integrated, collaborative research agenda for Alzheimer’s disease

At the Alzheimer's Disease Research Summit 2018, experts presented recommendations for an integrated, multidisciplinary research agenda designed to inform priorities for the treatment and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, according to a press release.

The recommendations, organized by the NIH’s National Institute on Aging (NIA), offer guidance on building a collaborative, multi-stakeholder research environment that can help patients at all stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the release. The research recommendations build upon those established in 2012 and 2015 at prior summits.

A major focus of the recommendations was using a precision medicine approach to Alzheimer's disease treatment and prevention, according to the release. Experts highlighted the need for methods, tools and partnerships to understand disease heterogeneity via clinical study assessing disease risk and resilience across diverse populations, increase research accuracy and quicken therapy development through experimental and technology-based approaches and open research.

According to the release, the recommendations focused on developing:

knowledge on the causes of disease;

interventions through precision medicine that address underlying disease process and symptoms;

individual disease risk profiles for each specific patient;

research infrastructure and translational tools to fast-track therapies;

therapeutics that target the multiple parts of Alzheimer's disease;

research on the environment’s impact and interaction with genetic and biological factors;

a novel research ecosystem that uses open science and collaboration with stakeholders; and

the ability to detect early Alzheimer’s disease markers, track treatment response and care with digital technologies.

Developed by more than 80 experts, the updated recommendations will seek to achieve the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease to treat and prevent Alzheimer's disease and related dementias by 2025, according to the release.

“This is a critical time in Alzheimer's research, with new opportunities to build upon what we have learned,” Richard J. Hodes, MD, director of the NIA, said in the press release. “We must continue to foster creative approaches that leverage emerging scientific and technological advances, establish robust translational infrastructure for rapid and broad sharing of data and research tools, and work with funding partners and other stakeholders to cultivate and sustain an open science research ecosystem.”

Disclosures: Hodes is director of the NIA.