The DORIAN GRAY project officially kicked off in Brescia, Italy, on 27-28 February, marking the beginning of an ambitious five-year research initiative aimed at uncovering the links between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Launched on 1 January 2025, and funded by the European Union (EU), the project has a budget of EUR 11 million distributed across 24 partners. "For years, Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular dementia were viewed as separate entities. Recent research suggests they may represent a continuum, with overlapping pathways favouring either vascular or parenchymal β-amyloid deposition,” explains DORIAN GRAY scientific coordinator Dr Riccardo Proietti of the University of Liverpool, UK. “CVD not only shares risk factors with cognitive impairment but may also contribute to it, through mechanisms like chronic hypoperfusion, infarcts, and arterial stiffness. However, a unifying theory remains elusive due to the lack of reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and risk stratification in MCI patients with CVD.
The goal of DORIAN GRAY is to develop a neurobiology-based hypothesis linking MCI to CVD, using biomarkers for clinical assessment to inform joint health policies for prevention, while also developing an innovative digital tool that can be used for cognitive enhancement.” The kick-off meeting in Brescia brought together representatives from all partners including academia, hospitals, companies and non-profit organisations who had the opportunity to meet and share insights. Over two days of intense discussions, participants focused on setting up the work of the different work packages for the project, establishing partnerships, and ensuring that all aspects of the project align for maximum impact over the next five years. Within the consortium, Alzheimer Europe leads the Public Involvement activities and contributes to the communication and stakeholder engagement activities in the project.
Angela Bradshaw (Director for Research), Cindy Birck (Project Officer) and Soraya Moradi Bachiller (Public Involvement Officer) joined the kick-off meeting on behalf of Alzheimer Europe.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement number 101156266
If you are interested to know more about the project, read the press release: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/eu-flagship-project-dorian-gray-to-use-pioneering-ai-and-avatar-technology-to-un