On 18 November, the Healthcare Business Awards Ceremony 2025 took place in Athens (Greece), with the aim of highlighting the initiatives of businesses regarding healthcare, initiatives of patient associations that strive to improve the quality of life of their members, of university institutions that conduct research with significant social impact, and NGOs making a significant contribution to improving the health of vulnerable people. The Panhellenic Federation of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders’ research project “Diagnosis and Monitoring of the Evolution of Dementia using Deep Neurosignature” (DNS Study), was awarded the bronze medal in the research category.
This multinational study aims at early diagnosis and monitoring the progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), utilising a combination of classical and digital biomarkers, innovative technologies and big data analysis through artificial intelligence. The study uniquely maps the "deep neural footprints" that reflect everyday functioning and brain health. Our Federation played a key role in this research effort, contributing 795 participants that represent most of the total study sample, and provided enormous statistical analysis power and reliability to the results. The participants of the study, patients with mild intellectual disability, with early, middle and late-stage dementia, as well as mentally healthy individuals, received free access to high-cost specialised tests (cerebrospinal fluid analysis, genetic testing, neuropsychological, neuroimaging and neurological assessments).
Furthermore, imagine and blood-based biomarkers allow the early detection of molecular changes before the onset of cognitive symptoms, while digital markers identify behavioural and functional changes in everyday life. The interconnection of the two levels therefore enhances the ability to predict progression (from MCI to AD) with unprecedented accuracy. The study contributes to improving the understanding of brain health and neurological disorders, promotes an innovative personalised approach to medicine and the development of new diagnostic tools (including biomarkers and digital biomarkers) with high social and scientific impact.