In 2012, the Pasqual Maragall Foundation and its research center, the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), announced the main objectives of Alfa, one of the most complex research infrastructures and with the largest number of participants in the world, with a cohort of nearly 2,700 people. The objective of Alfa, which has the impetus of the ”la Caixa” Foundation, is to identify the early physiopathological characteristics of Alzheimer's disease in order to be able to detect it early and design prevention programs that delay or stop the onset of symptoms.
This year, it has been a decade since the last assessment tests were carried out to be part of the cohort to more than 3,000 of the 5,000 people who volunteered. Alfa is made up of participants without cognitive impairment, aged between 45 and 74, mostly direct descendants of people with Alzheimer's.
The Alfa study would not be possible without the commitment of the participants who, throughout these 10 years, have performed neuroimaging, clinical and/or cognitive tests that have contributed to a better understanding of the biological processes of Alzheimer's. Since the launch of the platform, the BBRC has carried out key research that has demonstrated the relevance of the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's and made key contributions to scientific knowledge of the disease.
Thanks to the solidarity of the participants, along with that of the members of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, donors, entities and companies that give it support, we are getting closer to a future without Alzheimer's.