Nigeria's Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Study Begins Work With The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire)

The research brings the opportunity to advance worldwide understanding of early onset of AD by engaging with a new, relatively younger participant pool.

To reduce the scale of dementia in Nigeria we are working to deliver at scale affordable and accessible diagnostics for early detection of the disease.” - Valentine Ucheagwu, PhD, Atlantic Fellow, Nnamdi Azikiwe UniversityGENEVA, SWITZERLAND, July 26, 2023/einpresswire.com / -- The davos alzheimer's collaborative (DAC), the organization leading an unprecedented global response to Alzheimer's disease, today announced the Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Study (Anambra, Nigeria) is beginning work with the dac global cohort development (DAC GCD) program, a groundbreaking data platform to accelerate the discovery, assessment, and delivery of precision interventions for Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This is the second of many cohorts DAC GCD is planning to work within the continent of Africa.

Valentine Ucheagwu, PhD, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health, and senior lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University based in Awka, Nigeria, is leading the research. The program is collecting cognitive and metabolic data as well as AD biomarkers (A-T-(N) from participants in two studies: ADIPRES-N, focused on middle-aged adults (45-60) and ADIBIO-N focused on older adults (65 and above).

“Dementia is misunderstood in Nigeria and carries with it a huge caregiver burden and stigma,” said Valentine Ucheagwu.“To reduce the scale of dementia in Nigeria we are working to deliver at scale affordable and accessible diagnostics for early detection of the disease.”

“Today there is limited data from sub-Saharan African countries and working with Nigeria's Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Study brings the opportunity to advance worldwide understanding of early onset of AD by engaging with a new, relatively younger participant pool,” said Dr. Rhoda Au, Director of the Global Cohort Development at DAC.

Research reports there are 367,000 new cases of dementia a year in sub-Sahara Africa. In addition, Africa's older population will outstrip growth in any other world region. *

The Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Study is collecting baseline cognition and MCI; metabolic data, lipids, blood amyloid, ptau, total tau, GFAP and cognitive assessment data. Future research plans include validating blood-based biomarkers and cognitive assessment for early diagnosis and non-pharmacological treatment for management of mild cognitive impairment.

Global Participation
The DAC Global Cohort Development (GCD) platform is driving scientific discovery by providing researchers access to an extensive, truly international platform populated with brain related health data from broad and diverse populations. It will support AI and machine learning with organized and aggregated data collected from digital devices through research labs, hospitals, and individual's smartphones. This data resource will help determine the causes, predispositions, and habits for people who develop Alzheimer's Disease. It may also inform drug discovery and clinical care at a more rapid pace.

The Global Cohort Development combines the best of science – collaboration, creative thinking, and discovery. Other interested researchers with cohorts that share these objectives are encouraged to apply. Because of the synergistic nature of this work, cohorts with limited resources are put on similar footing with the large research organizations. Supporters are finding this program a cost-effective way to influence the big, new ideas necessary to stem the tide of AD.

About the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative
Launched at the World Economic Forum's 2021 meeting on The Davos Agenda, The Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder partnership committed to aligning stakeholders with a new vision for our collective global response against the challenges Alzheimer's presents to patients, caregivers and healthcare infrastructures. Convened by The World Economic Forum and The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease (CEOi) and fueled by a mission of service to the estimated 150 million families and half a billion people inevitably impacted by this disease by 2050, DAC is a collaborative for the benefit of all people, in all places.


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*“Increases in Africa's Older Population Will Outstrip Growth in Any Other World Region,” April 13, 2022 by Wan He, Director of the Ageing Research Program at the US Census Bureau Population Division.

Patricia Arcand
Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative Global Cohort Development

+1 617-251-7778

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