The AHEAD Study is looking to include younger and more diverse populations in Alzheimer’s research

Black American adults in the United States are about twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease as non-Hispanic white adults and are also underrepresented in clinical research, making up fewer than nine percent of clinical trial participants.

The AHEAD Study seeks to change that. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and Eisai Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo), the AHEAD Study is the first Alzheimer’s research effort to enroll participants as young as 55 using tailored dosing of an investigational treatment. The study has a priority to enroll people who reflect the diversity of the United States, especially people at the greatest risk for Alzheimer’s such as Black Americans.

The inclusion of Black Americans in the AHEAD Study is key to addressing health disparities in the black community, according to study researchers.

“The research community recognizes that good science is inclusive science, and inclusive science will help ensure that Alzheimer’s treatments work for everyone,” said Anton Porsteinsson, M.D, Director of the University of Rochester Alzheimer’s Disease Care, Research and Education Program.

By recruiting individuals as young as 55, the study aims to catch the disease at its earliest stages. This is important because changes in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease can begin up to 20 years before symptoms are noticeable and the investigational treatment being studied has been shown to reduce these changes. Discovering a treatment that targets brain changes early means that one day doctors may be able to prevent memory loss. To help find these treatments, researchers need participation from a diverse community of people but especially Black Americans.

“By inviting younger and more diverse participants without symptoms we hope to help individuals who are at higher risk – such as people with family history of dementia – get ahead of the disease with early intervention,” says Reisa Sperling, M.D., director of the Center for Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and co-principal investigator for the AHEAD Study. “We know recruiting diverse participants is hard work, but we are committed to being intentional about being more inclusive to ensure treatments that work for everyone. Building trust, working within communities, and meeting people where they are, are just some of strategies we will be using to make good on this promise.”

The University of Rochester is one of the national research centers conducting the AHEAD Study.

“The AHEAD Study has the potential to be a breakthrough in Alzheimer’s research, but we need diverse individuals to help make that a reality,” said Dr. Porsteinsson. “Rochester residents from all walks of life can help us get ahead of Alzheimer’s by participating in this groundbreaking research.”

For more information on eligibility requirements, contact the University of Rochester at 585-602-5200 or visit https://AHEADstudy.org.

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