The European Prevention of Alzheimer\u2019s Dementia initiative (EPAD) has recruited its first research participant in Spain, Maria (pictured).<\/p>\n
The EUR 64 million Europe-wide initiative, which aims to improve our understanding of the early stages of Alzheimer\u2019s disease and how it leads to dementia, is building a registry of 24,000 people and a cohort of 6,000 participants, from which 1,500 will participate in clinical trials on the prevention of Alzheimer\u2019s dementia. 200 participants will be recruited by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation<\/a> in Barcelona, which announced this first Spanish recruitment on 15 July.<\/p>\n Participants will have regular health checks including blood tests and brain scans. Researchers will also track their thinking skills over time using tests of mental agility. The team hopes to develop tests to identify early signs of Alzheimer\u2019s disease that may indicate when a person is at risk of dementia before symptoms appear. They will then invite these people to take part in clinical trials aimed at testing interventions that could delay, or even prevent, the onset of dementia.<\/p>\n Maria, whose recruitment was done via the Barcelona\u03b2eta Brain Research Center – part of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation \u2013 is 61 years old, lives in Barber\u00e0 del Vall\u00e8s and has lived alongside Alzheimer\u2019s dementia – first with her father, who was diagnosed in the latter stages of his life, and then with two uncles and two aunts.<\/p>\n \u201cI volunteered because I am surrounded by many affected people. Alzheimer\u2019s disease has not been studied enough and is largely unknown\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n According to Dr Jos\u00e9 Luis Molinuevo, EPAD co-leader and Scientific Director of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, \u201cEPAD is a unique opportunity to offer healthy people at risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s dementia the possibility to access an innovative clinical trial designed for the prevention of this disease\u201d.<\/p>\n EPAD involves 36 organisations including universities, commercial partners and patient organisations. Earlier this year the initiative recruited its first research participant, Julie in Scotland.<\/p>\n