We are driving the development of a pioneering algorithm to anticipate the first symptoms of Alzheimer's

Identifying the risk of Alzheimer's before the first symptoms appear could improve the lives of millions of people in the coming years. With that goal in mind, the Barcelonaßeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), our research center, is leading ALFA10, a pioneering project that seeks to anticipate the disease by developing a predictive algorithm capable of detecting people at higher risk, even before the first signs of cognitive decline appear.

The project, led by Drs. Gonzalo Sánchez and Oriol Grau, BBRC researchers,seeks to transform the approach to Alzheimer's by facilitating early detection, improving the selection of candidates for clinical trials, and opening the door to personalised treatments. "The aim of this project is to better understand how the disease progresses before symptoms appear and, thus, prepare a protocol for action in high-risk cases that, in the long run, can be adopted by the health system,” the project leaders explain.

The arrival of the first treatments capable of slowing the progression of Alzheimer's has ushered in a new era in the treatment of the disease. However, their effectiveness depends largely on timely intervention. In most cases, diagnosis occurs when brain damage is already irreversible. ALFA10 wants to change this paradigm, shifting the focus to the preclinical phase of the disease and creating tools that allow for earlier and more effective intervention.

The ALFA10 study, a new stage in research

ALFA10 goes a step beyond ALFA Study, launched in 2013 by the "la Caixa" Foundation and developed by the BBRC, which recruited over 2,700 healthy volunteers aged 45 to 75 to study early biological and cognitive changes associated with Alzheimer's disease. Over the years, many of these volunteers have participated in various assessments and complementary studies, contributing to a valuable database and collection of biological samples.

Now, ALFA10 is continuing that research with a renewed and more ambitious approach. Instead of recruiting new people, the project has re-contacted all original participants to continue monitoring them and further investigate the evolution of their brain health. Many of these individuals will be invited back to the center for blood tests and cognitive assessments to more accurately detect changes in biomarkers and thus observe in greater detail the biological processes that precede the disease.

In addition, the project will incorporate a remote monitoring through questionnaires and digital cognitive assessment tools, continuous monitoring of brain function will be facilitated without the need for frequent in-person visits. This approach, based on following the same cohort for almost fifteen years, will provide key information on how the disease progresses and help identify those at greater risk before symptoms appear. The first in-person visits are planned for January 2026, after which continuous digital monitoring will begin.

Three steps to anticipate Alzheimer's

The development of the ALFA10 predictive algorithm is structured in three main phases. The first consists of the data collection and analysis, which will include new blood biomarkers, analysed in the BBRC laboratories, along with clinical and cognitive variables of the participants.

In a second phase, all that information will be integrated with the historical data collected over almost fifteen years to create a predictive algorithm capable of accurately estimating an individual's risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Finally, the project focuses on prevention and treatment, aiming to identify risk profiles and facilitate the development of personalised therapies, bringing prevention closer to clinical practice and reducing the impact of the disease before it causes irreversible brain damage.

A scientific advance with social impact

ALFA10 represents a qualitative leap in Alzheimer's research. For the first time, a project of this scale combines blood-detectable biomarkers with remote digital cognitive monitoring tools, enabling more precise, sensitive, and continuous tracking of brain health.

Furthermore, it has a clear focus on transferring knowledge to the healthcare system. Beyond generating scientific knowledge, the project aims to transform findings into useful protocols and tools, applicable first in specialised centers and, eventually, in primary care.

Long-term follow-up of the same participants for more than a decade will allow researchers to observe the biological and cognitive changes that precede symptoms, providing essential information on how the disease progresses and facilitating early and personalised intervention. "Once developed, the algorithm will be validated with independent data samples and in new cohorts of participants, allowing its effectiveness to be assessed and facilitating its clinical application,” adds Dr. Sánchez.

A campaign to change the future of Alzheimer's

To make this progress possible, we have launched a campaign with the goal of raising €250,000. This funding will accelerate the development of the algorithm and bring early detection of Alzheimer's closer to clinical practice, with the potential to improve the lives of millions of people in the coming years.

Discover more about ALFA10, the research project to anticipate Alzheimer's, in this video: 
 

More information: https://colabora.fpmaragall.org/algoritmo