AMYPAD - Amyloid imaging to prevent Alzheimer's Disease

AMYPAD is a European collaboration to improve the knowledge, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's by using a Positron Emission Tomography (PET). It is made up of 15 European institutions, including research centers, pharmaceutical laboratories and patient associations.

The project consists of three studies:

• Diagnostic value: First, the project aims at better understanding the impact of the utilization of amyloid PET imaging on diagnostic thinking and patient management.
  AMYPAD will scan a large population cohort (n=900) suspected of possible Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on those with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and atypical/unexplained dementia, to determine the usefulness of ß-amyloid imaging regarding diagnostic confidence, decision trees, change in diagnosis, and patient management plans. The primary objective is to measure the impact on patient management of early versus late utilization of amyloid PET imaging.
   
• Prognostic study: Second, the project wants to follow up and understand the natural history of Alzheimer’s disease ranging from cognitively normal, through subjective cognitive decline towards mild cognitive impairment in order to define the optimal window of opportunity for secondary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease through ß-amyloid PET imaging. To better understand the natural history of ß-amyloid pathophysiology, AMYPAD will leverage several Europe-wide networks in close collaboration with ongoing cohorts such as EPAD to study the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease in a longitudinal and multi-modal fashion.
   
• Proof of concept studies: Finally, AMYPAD will select people for treatment trials aiming at preventing Alzheimer’s disease by ensuring more homogeneous and appropriate enrolment. The combined populations will be followed clinically and in up to 50% with longitudinal ß-amyloid imaging (focusing on those with borderline positive scans) to improve understanding of disease pathophysiology and establish relevant pre-trial information that will facilitate clinical trial inclusion, reduce required sample size and improve statistical power of the (imaging-related) outcomes. The ultimate goal is to establish predictors of decline to help in the planning and monitoring of treatment.

The project will involve 3,100 people from all over Europe and 6,000 amyloid PET will be made. 

Led by VU University Medical Center Amsterdam , the AMYPAD consortium brings together a word-class team of highly synergistic partners from across Europe to form a pan- European network including the most active PET sites. This will ensure effective access to patients and also maximise exposure to technical knowledge and disease modelling.

In addition, AMYPAD will address the above goals in close collaboration with IMI project EPAD (the European Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease project) in a public-private initiative. 

AMYPAD has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint undertaking under grant agreement No 115952. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA.