Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is central to the rapidly growing and crushing ageing challenge that threatens to economically undermine today’s health care system. AD prevalence will grow to over 100m cases in 2050. AD is incurable, but can be prevented. Detecting pre-symptomatic signs of AD in at-risk groups and intervening early may be the only viable solution. Our target is to bring to market a novel ICT tool, named ‘AD Shield’, that screens for and detects pre-symptomatic stage cognitive decline related to AD, and creates a personalized program for each individual user to strengthen weakened cognitive abilities, thus building cognitive reserve and reducing AD risk. Brain+ will collaborate with world leading neuroscientists to validate this ICT tool. Completion of the tasks described in the workplan will secure the remaining development adaptation combination and validation of the existing technological breakthroughs of the Brain+ method and ICT platform, including the Oxford University’s new highly sensitive cognitive assessment method. The end product will be a scientifically validated, effective, economic, engaging and easily accessible method for pre-symptomatic detection of AD and preventative training. 'AD Shield' can be value created and costs saved of up to €60.000 per patient for the healthcare payers, and at EU level saving can amount to €7bn-108bn direct costs per year and €155bn informal care costs per year. Success stemmed from this phase 2 project will also empower AD at-risk groups and allow them to stay active in the labour market for longer. The combination of costs saved will ultimately boost EU competitiveness.

FluiDx-AD aims to transform Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis and prepare the EU healthcare systems for the emergence of new AD therapies, with a 1st-in-class trio of In Vitro Diagnostics tests. FluiDx-AD tests detect a unique and proprietary suite of biomarkers in simple bodily fluids (saliva, plasma/blood), towards widespread, patient-empowering, and all-inclusive AD diagnosis, at least as accurate as the costly and invasive procedures currently in place. FluiDx-AD tests have the potential to shorten AD diagnosis by 7-15 years, by detecting biomarkers that mark the onset of AD years before the appearance of clinical symptoms. Earlier diagnosis means earlier access to preventive interventions, which are now more effective thanks to next-generation immunotherapies. The clinical use of these new drugs is not consensual though, because of the severe side-effects they inflict in some patients. FluiDx-AD tests offer a pioneering tool to stratify and monitor patients eligible for these drugs, towards reducing their associated risk and accelerating their regulatory clearance in the EU. FluiDx-AD tests are thus devised to work complementarily and sequentially, covering the full AD diagnostic journey (from population-wide screenings to confirmatory diagnosis, and downstream patient stratification and monitoring), tackling key challenges of early AD diagnosis and AD prevention with new drugs, while also paving the way for the development of new therapies by streamlining patient selection and appraisal in clinical trials. FluiDx-AD brings together a team of highly motivated, committed, and reputed entrepreneurs, clinicians, and scientists from biotechs, hospitals, academic centres, and patient organizations across the EU. Leveraging our unique blend of trans-disciplinary/-sectoral expertise and access to advanced technologies and infrastructures, we join forces to realize the vision of a new era of AD clinical management for the benefit of millions of patients globally.

Background: The projected steep rise in global dementia prevalence will largely occur in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) and vulnerable populations in high-income countries (HIC). Up to 30% of all dementia is attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors. Mobile Health (mHealth) technology allows for scalable and widely implementable prevention programs using self-management for improvement of dementia risk factors. Objective: To make dementia prevention strategies accessible to populations in LMIC and vulnerable populations in HIC using mobile health technology. Methods: For this implementation project we will build upon the operational ‘Healthy Ageing Through Internet Counselling in the Elderly’ eHealth platform for self-management of risk factors for dementia and cardiovascular disease. Within vulnerable populations in HIC and in LMIC we will assess barriers and facilitators to adapt the existing eHealth platform to a culturally appropriate mHealth (smartphone) platform for self-management of dementia risk factors. We will use a blended care approach with participants receiving remote personalized support by a health coach to improve their lifestyle and actively reduce their risk of dementia. The adapted mHealth platform will be evaluated in a randomised implementation trial in 2400 older people at increased risk of dementia in China and a vulnerable population with low SES in UK. Main outcomes are implementation outcomes such as acceptability, feasibility and sustainability of our mHealth intervention, costs, and effectiveness on dementia risk reduction Relevance and impact PRODEMOS addresses the HCO-07 call by building on an existing eHealth intervention that will be adapted to an mHealth platform for dementia prevention, specifically tailored to vulnerable populations in HIC and LMIC, and will be implemented in multiple settings to pave the way towards a scalable, global strategy for dementia risk reduction.

The main aim of NEURONET is to set up an efficient platform to boost synergy and collaboration across the IMI projects of the Neurodegenerative Disorders (ND) portfolio, assisting in identifying gaps, multiplying its impact, enhancing its visibility and facilitating dovetailing with related initiatives in Europe and worldwide. This will be achieved through the following specific objectives: 1) creation of an overall platform for efficient collaboration, communication and operational synergies among present and future IMI ND projects; 2) designing systems to map and analyse information regarding actions, initiatives and partnerships, assessing impact of the individual projects, remaining gaps and global value of the programme for stakeholders; 3) supporting the management of the programme (timelines, dependencies, synergies and key results across projects); 4) proactively detecting needs, opportunities and transferable best practices of projects and to connect them; 5) providing support to the projects by organising tools, services, expert advice and guidelines/recommendations on common issues; 6) promoting enhancement and coordination of communication across the IMI neurodegeneration projects, increasing programme visibility, outreaching to key stakeholders and establishing relationships with initiatives in the field; and 7) preparing and securing the long-term sustainability of NEURONET itself. Achievement of these objectives will necessarily rely on buy-in from existing and future projects in the IMI ND portfolio, and effective connections with other programmes and initiatives in Europe and beyond, including stakeholder representation. For this, the Consortium has been constituted by very active partners in a variety of IMI ND projects and related initiatives with specialists in areas like complex/project management, data sharing & re-use, drug development, patient engagement, communication, sustainability and regulatory/HTA interactions.