Aga Khan University partners with Davos in Alzheimer’s research

Dar es Salaam. The Aga Khan University’s Brain and Mind Institute has announced a partnership with Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) to launch a two-part research programme for Alzheimer’s: a cohort research study, and a clinical trial.

A statement, released earlier this week by the Aga Khan University, says both researches will address the long standing lack of diversity in Alzheimer’s research in an effort to improve care and increase access to future innovative treatments throughout Africa.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions.

It degenerate the brain cell connections, eventually destroying memory and other important mental functions. The main symptoms of the disease – which currently has no cure - are memory loss and confusion.

To date, nearly all studies of Alzheimer’s disease have been conducted on white populations of Western European origin, meaning that 90 percent of the world’s population has been left out.

According to the Aga Khan University statement, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative is responding to this lack of diversity by building a cohort of one million people, to date, 30 cohorts from 23 countries within North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and with this new partnership with the Brain & Mind Institute (BMI).

“We are excited to partner on this cutting-edge study to broaden our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr Zul Merali, Founding Director of the Brain and Mind Institute, AKU.

“This work comes at a critical time as the entire continent of Africa is grappling with the issues of healthy aging and ill health, particularly pertaining to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.”

The partnership is a trailblazing collaboration to fundamentally rethink Alzheimer’s data collection and analysis. Because the research will be open source, it will help scientists and researchers worldwide gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s in vulnerable and underserved populations; which in turn, can accelerate the development of new treatments reflecting a precision medicine approach.

“To make progress on Alzheimer’s disease, it is essential that research include all races and ethnicities, especially diverse populations who have been left out of previous research efforts,” said George Vradenburg, Founding Chairman of the Board, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, and Convener, The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease.

“This partnership with the Brain and Mind Institute, AKU will build knowledge across racial, ethnic, gender, and national boundaries which will lay the foundation for new breakthroughs.”

DAC and BMI will use local networks and on-the-ground healthcare providers to collect blood and conduct digital cognitive assessments, which are critical to identifying biomarkers that may indicate the presence of Alzheimer’s disease.

DAC is transforming research in Alzheimer’s, working with researchers to make sure they have tools and technology to gather data, then pooling this information so the global scientific community can understand the heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease. The DAC/AKU partnership will play a key role in shaping a future of accessible, globally competent Alzheimer’s treatment.