Major EU Projects for Alzheimer's Diagnosis and Care

ACCESS AD marks the launch of a five-year European project aimed at sustainably improving the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. A total of 37 million euros has been allocated for this initiative. LMU Medical Center is contributing its expertise as one of the lead partners—under the direction of Prof. Robert Perneczky from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. In total, ACCESS-AD brings together 30 leading research organizations, companies, and patient advocacy groups across Europe.

As part of a pilot project, tablets were recently installed in about 20 pharmacies in Munich, allowing older customers to take a memory test and answer a few questions.

With the EU approval in 2025 of the first drugs targeting the underlying cause of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, a new chapter has begun in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. At the same time, long wait times, limited resources, and a growing demand for specialized diagnostic tests are posing major challenges for many healthcare systems—including Germany’s.

Close the supply gap

“While the introduction of these new therapies is a scientific breakthrough,” says Prof. Robert Perneczky, head of the Department of Mental Health in Older Adults and the Alzheimer’s Therapy and Research Center at LMU Medical Center, “the key question is whether we can integrate these advances into standard care in a timely, safe, and accessible manner for everyone. ACCESS AD offers the opportunity to create care structures across Europe that provide patients with modern, personalized diagnostics and therapy.” To this end, the participants are developing and testing “an integrated care concept covering the entire course of the disease.”

Example: Recently, tablets were installed in about 20 pharmacies in Munich as part of a pilot project, allowing older customers to take a memory test and answer a few questions. A digital platform developed specifically for this purpose in collaboration with the tech startup Medotrax (www.medotrax.com) analyzes the results and provides insights into individual risk. As part of this process, participants receive addresses of resource centers that offer targeted information on preventive measures—“what you can do to keep your brain healthy,” as Perneczky puts it.

Results to date from the Munich team

As one of the leading groups in this field, Prof. Perneczky’s team plays a central role in designing diagnostic pathways, collecting and evaluating real-world patient data, and implementing new monitoring strategies. In their work, the Munich-based group has already investigated how Alzheimer’s disease can be detected earlier using certain biomarkers, how artificial intelligence can assist in this process, how treatment can be improved, and how the onset of dementia can be delayed or prevented through appropriate lifestyle choices—such as a healthy diet, sufficient exercise, and a strong social network.

For example, LMU Medical Center has joined the European “AD RIDDLE” project, which—with a total budget of over 31 million euros—is developing digital and AI-based solutions and biomarkers for the early detection, risk assessment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (www.ad-riddle.org). Participation in both major initiatives underscores the central role of LMU Medical Center in shaping modern Alzheimer’s care structures that are compatible across Europe.

New Treatments for Alzheimer's Disease – Unanswered Questions

In addition, as part of the ACCESS-AD study, researchers aim to conduct a large-scale assessment of the efficacy and safety of the first new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. While the drugs Lecanemab and Donanemab, which are officially approved in Europe, are already being prescribed in Germany, the Joint Federal Committee will have the final say on their future use in this country in the coming weeks. Regardless of the decision, ACCESS-AD is using an international real-world data registry to evaluate the safety and efficacy of modern therapies under the direction of Prof. Perneczky (www.inradnetwork.org).

Last but not least, “we at ACCESS-AD also want to investigate whether these new medications can be made available to more patient groups in clinical practice.” For example, people with significant changes in their brain blood vessels have so far been excluded from these new therapies.

In short, ACCESS-AD is, according to Perneczky, “a pragmatic project that is not merely academic in nature, but one from which patients can truly benefit.”