Members of the AD-RIDDLE consortium announced today that they will begin a new initiative that aims to bridge the gap between Alzheimer’s research, implementation science, and precision medicine. The AD-RIDDLE programme will develop a toolbox platform for timely detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and dementias, to match individuals with the right interventions at the right time, and enabling people to better understand what they can do to reduce risk and prevent cognitive decline.
With new disease modifying therapies on the horizon, there is an enormous potential for prevention, opportunities for more timely diagnosis and personalised treatment options, and overall health-economic benefits in the long term. AD-RIDDLE, which stands for “Real-world implementation, deployment and validation of early detection tools and lifestyle enhancement”, aims to address the pressing need for effective preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, implemented at scale, and for increased engagement of individuals and caregivers with disease prevention, management and care.
AD-RIDDLE aims to unlock efficiencies for AD diagnosis and treatment, removing barriers to entry that traditionally slow down patient access to healthcare providers and precision medicine. The project will create a modular toolbox platform designed to provide support at all stages of the clinical pathway. The AD-RIDDLE platform will include a digital community engagement portal, comprising self-guided assessment tools for older adults, pathways for timely referral to healthcare professionals, and resources that are tailored and actionable. Healthcare professionals will also have access to an array of screening tools for increased accuracy in risk detection and early diagnosis, including digital cognitive assessments and blood-based biomarkers, as well as a decision support toolkit, powered by validated algorithms for differential diagnoses, prevention, and care. Patients will gain access to personalised therapies which can be physician-supported or self-guided, including lifestyle interventions and pharmacological treatments, matching patients to the right interventions at the right time. Finally, a real-world testing study will be conducted in different healthcare settings (e.g. memory clinics, primary care) across six European countries and will provide extensive evidence to support implementation of diagnostic tools, treatments and lifestyle interventions.
Thanks to funding from the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the AD-RIDDLE consortium will begin a five-year effort to transform how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is detected, diagnosed, and treated across healthcare settings. Co-led by Miia Kivipelto (Karolinska Institutet, Sweden) and Niranjan Bose (Gates Ventures), the consortium brings together academic and industry partners, healthcare providers, regulatory bodies, and patient organisations. AD-RIDDLE builds on existing technology, biomarkers, tools, and interventions, many developed by the consortium partners through prior EU-funded initiatives, including studies building on the FINGER multidomain dementia prevention trials. Alzheimer Europe is a partner in AD-RIDDLE, and will lead public involvement and communication activities, also supporting the development of socioethical and policy guidance for societal implementation of the platform. Through these activities, AD-RIDDLE will be shaped to meet the needs, values and perspectives of people affected by cognitive impairment or dementia and their caregivers, with effective engagement of key stakeholders in the wider dementia community.
“With new research on the efficacy of multi-domain lifestyle interventions and the promise of disease-modifying therapeutics, there is renewed hope for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers, and a window of opportunity for substantial progress,” said Miia Kivipelto, Professor, Research Director and Senior Geriatrician at the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, and Principal Investigator (PI) for the AD-RIDDLE project. “AD-RIDDLE represents the greatest opportunity yet for cross-sector progress in Alzheimer's research and care.”
Read the full press release: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1032693
Learn more about AD-RIDDLE: https://ad-riddle.org/
AD-RIDDLE is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No. 101132933. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe and Vaccines Europe, with Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, Combinostics OY., Cambridge Cognition Ltd., C2N Diagnostics LLC, and neotiv GmbH.