37th Global Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International: Diagnosis, emerging therapies and innovations

Six key oral presentations from this year’s ADI meeting on diagnosis, therapies and innovation in care

Conference coverage | Held from 14–16 April, the 37th Global Conference of Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), Lyon, France, brought together global expertise and lived experience at the longest-running international forum on dementia.

Structured around the seven areas of the World Health Organization’s Global action plan on dementia, the programme covered public health, awareness, carer support, diagnosis, treatment and care, risk reduction, information systems, and research and innovation.

Among the broad range of topics presented, this article highlights some of the key oral presentations from the meeting, with a particular focus on developments in dementia diagnosis and emerging treatments, alongside innovations in dementia care.

Phosphorylated tau protein 217 shows potential as a first-line screening tool for dementia in older adults

Abstract: Sabia S, Singh-Maoux A. Blood-based biomarkers as predictors of dementia: A 12-year follow-up in the Whitehall II study. ADI 2026, 14-16 April, Lyon, France. Abstract 172.

Dr Séverine Sabia and Prof. Archana Singh-Maoux (Université Paris Cité, Paris, France) investigated the long-term ability of blood-based biomarkers to predict all-cause dementia in the Whitehall II study. Their objective was to assess how accurately biomarkers including amyloid-beta (Aβ)42 and 40, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light (NfL) and phosphorylated tau protein 217 (p-tau217) could predict dementia in a longitudinal cohort.

The researchers measured these biomarkers in 5,225 Whitehall II participants in 2012/13, when the mean age was 69.4 years, and used Cox regression to examine associations between the worst biomarker quartiles and incident all-cause dementia up to 2024.

Over a median follow-up of 11.3 years, 448 participants developed dementia. Among the individual biomarkers, predictive accuracy was highest for p-tau217 and lowest for the Aβ42/40 ratio. When all biomarkers were considered together, predictive performance improved, and adding p-tau217, either alone or alongside other biomarkers, further improved a model based on sociodemographic, behavioural and health-related factors. Participants with values in the worst quartile for Aβ42/40, p-tau217, NfL and GFAP all had a higher risk of dementia.

Overall, the authors presented findings suggesting that blood-based biomarkers may have value as first-line screening tools for dementia in older adults living in the community, although their relatively low sensitivity means further clinical investigation would still be needed in biomarker-positive cases.

Preclinical data supports next-gen anti-amyloid-β antibody designed to improve brain delivery and reduce inflammatory side effects in Alzheimer’s disease.

Abstract: Norris G, Rizo A, Jensen A, et al. Targeted Delivery of a novel Anti-pE3–42 Amyloid-β Antibody via Transferrin Receptor Shuttle for Alzheimer’s Disease. ADI 2026, 14-16 April, Lyon, France. Abstract 205.

A novel monoclonal antibody targeting pyroglutamate-modified amyloid-β (pE3–42 Aβ), a form of amyloid associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), was presented by Dr Geoffrey T Norris (Bothell, WA, USA) and colleagues. The aim was to develop a treatment with high specificity for this target while improving safety and enhancing delivery to the brain.

The team developed an antibody, clone 12840, with high specificity for pE3–42 amyloid-β oligomers and fibrils and minimal off-target binding compared with benchmark antibodies including lecanemab, donanemab and remternetug. To reduce Fc-mediated inflammatory responses, the antibody was engineered with a K322A mutation to prevent C1q binding. In the FAD4t transgenic mouse model, the antibody significantly reduced amyloid-β levels, as measured by immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and outperformed clinical-stage anti-amyloid-β antibodies.

To improve brain penetration, the researchers also developed a brain shuttle version, clone 13157, by fusing a monovalent anti-human transferrin receptor (TfR) variable heavy (VH) domain to the Fc region. This approach resulted in around 20-fold higher brain exposure than the non-shuttled antibody, confirmed by ELISA and immunohistochemistry.

In conclusion, the authors presented that their preclinical findings supported further development of this brain-penetrant anti-amyloid-β therapeutic as a potential disease-modifying treatment for AD.

Rare intronic PSEN1 variant linked to familial early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, with resistance potentially tied to expression levels

Abstract: Zholdassova Z, Beloussov V, Nakhanov A, et al. Familial Resistance to Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Linked to an Intronic PSEN1 Variant. ADI 2026, 14-16 April, Lyon, France. Abstract 143.

Seeking to better understand a rare intronic PSEN1 splice variant, Dr Zhibek Zholdassova (Universal Brain Center, Almaty, Kazakhstan) and colleagues examined its clinical and molecular features in a multigenerational family affected by early-onset AD. They also explored potential protective factors in family members who showed resilience or delayed onset despite carrying the variant.

The researchers studied a three-generational family in which AD typically developed at around 45 years of age, with death by 55. Whole-exome sequencing identified a rare splice-disrupting intronic PSEN1 variant, which was then confirmed by Sanger sequencing in 20 family members. To explore its functional significance, fibroblasts from four relatives were also analyzed, including an early-onset patient, a healthy non-carrier and two carriers with delayed onset, with PSEN1 transcript expression assessed using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).

Most variant carriers showed classical early-onset AD. However, two cases of resilience stood out: a woman whose disease onset occurred 15 years later than expected, and a man who remained cognitively intact more than 10 years beyond the predicted age of onset. Expression analyzes showed elevated PSEN1 transcript levels in the early-onset patient, but around threefold lower expression in the carriers with delayed or absent onset.

In conclusion, the findings suggest that resistance to early-onset AD in this family may be linked to reduced PSEN1 expression and compensatory molecular mechanisms.

Current and future Alzheimer’s disease therapies should be communicated carefully, as data on access, efficacy, side effects and cost may discourage early uptake

Abstract: Kučuk 0, Kučuk E, Kučuk A. New anti-amyloid therapies – where we are wrong and about what do we have to take care of. ADI 2026, 14-16 April, Lyon, France. Abstract 51.

Dr Osman Kučuk and colleagues from the Center for Dementia, Sarajevo, Bosnia presented an analysis of AD therapies that moved beyond a purely medical perspective to consider the views of people living with dementia, families, carers, psychologists, social workers, therapists, and the public. Their objective was to explore how current treatments are experienced and perceived, particularly given concerns around modest efficacy, side effects and the impact of misdiagnosis or genetic factors on treatment success.

To do this, the authors analyzed information on the results and achievements of current therapies from these wider stakeholder perspectives and placed their findings in the context of expectations for the next-generation of AD therapies, alongside information gathered during the IX Congress on Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias (iCoDem/25) .

Their results suggested that published manufacturer data on the accessibility, effectiveness, side effects and cost of current therapies are not motivating acceptance of anti-amyloid treatment among people with mild cognitive impairment that will progress to AD or those in the mild stage of the condition.

Taking this into consideration, the authors argued that anti-amyloid and future therapies for AD should be marketed with caution, so as not to further discourage people living with dementia or create additional challenges for the professionals trying to support them.

Technology may help reduce loneliness in older adults with cognitive impairment by supporting greater social engagement

Abstract: Czaja S, Prof Walter R Boot1, Prof Neil Charness1The Role of Technology in Enhancing Cognitive Engagement Among Older Adults with a Cognitive Impairment. ADI 2026, 14-16 April, Lyon, France. Abstract 202.

Could technology help reduce loneliness in older adults with cognitive impairment? This was the question explored by Prof. Sara Czaja, of Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, USA, and colleagues, who examined the links between cognition, social engagement and technology use in this population.

The study used data from the longitudinal Everyday Needs Assessment for Cognitive Tasks (ENACT) study, which examines the challenges faced by people with cognitive impairment in everyday life and the potential role of technology in addressing them. The analysis included 201 adults aged 60–93 years with cognitive impairment due to stroke, traumatic brain injury or mild cognitive impairment. Measures included demographics, cognitive function, technology use, social activity and loneliness.

Using structural equation modelling, the researchers found that higher cognition was associated with greater use of technology for social engagement. Greater use of technology for social engagement was, in turn, associated with more frequent participation in social activities, which was linked to lower levels of loneliness.

The work presented points to a practical role for technology in helping older adults with cognitive impairment stay socially connected, and suggests that greater support for its use could have benefits for emotional wellbeing

Gotcha! app improves proper name retrieval in many people with dementia, supporting its potential as a digital rehabilitation tool

Abstract: Badalova A. Digital Interventions in Neuro-Rehabilitation: Gotcha! a clinical trial of an app-based therapy for proper name anomia in people with dementia. ADI 2026, 14-16 April, Lyon, France. Abstract 202.

Addressing what can often be a distressing problem of proper name anomia in individuals with dementia, Dr Aygun Badalova, of the Institute of Neurology, UCL, London, UK, presented findings from a clinical trial of Gotcha!, an app-based therapy designed to help people with dementia retrieve the names of important people in their lives.

The Gotcha! app uses a digital confrontation naming approach, with participants practising one familiar face-name pairing each day for six weeks. The study used a single-case experimental design, with weekly free-naming assessments before and during therapy. Participants also underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) scans before and after the therapy period while attempting to name trained familiar faces and untrained famous faces.

Results from the first 38 participants showed that 89% demonstrated a positive trend, with better naming during the training phase, and 20 reached statistical significance at the individual level. Group-level analysis also showed a significant effect of training. Magnetoencephalography data from 26 participants identified reduced gamma-band activity in the left anterior temporal lobe following training with familiar faces, but not with untrained famous faces, suggesting a therapy-related neural effect.

Could digital rehabilitation tools help address one of the more distressing language difficulties experienced by people with dementia? The authors suggested that their findings indicate Gotcha! may be an effective digital intervention for improving proper name retrieval in people with dementia. The study also provides evidence that the left ventral temporal lobe plays a role in practice-based retrieval of familiar face-name associations, with potential benefits for everyday life.

Overall, the presentations reviewed here offer only a snapshot of the work presented at the meeting, highlighting how rapidly the field is evolving, from advances in diagnosis and therapeutic development to practical innovations in care. The conference abstract book provides a valuable resource for readers wishing to explore the full breadth of content in more detail.