MOPEAD (Model of Patients Engagement for Alzheimer’s Disease)

Fundació ACE – Barcelona Alzheimer Treatment & Research Center has been selected by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI)—a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)—to lead the MOPEAD project, a new research initiative aimed at consolidating an early diagnostic system for Alzheimer’s disease.

The MOPEAD project (Models of Patient Engagement for Alzheimer’s Disease) is a European initiative that seeks to give citizens an active role in the early detection of the disease. IMI will allocate €4 million to assess patient engagement and participation models that may prove effective for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. According to its principal investigator, Mercè Boada, the goal of MOPEAD is to raise public awareness and increase citizen participation in diagnosis, thereby also helping to identify previously undetected cases. The results will provide new clinical data on Alzheimer’s disease in its earliest stages, contributing to the development of new therapeutic interventions to halt disease progression.

Over approximately three years, the research will evaluate the effectiveness of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease at mild or preclinical stages through four citizen participation models: an online questionnaire, Fundació ACE Open House Days, a 10-minute test administered by primary care physicians, and a neuropsychological assessment of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, considered a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The outcomes of MOPEAD will make it possible to identify and implement, at a European level, the most appropriate model to facilitate access to very early diagnosis for individuals with mild cognitive impairment or memory complaints.

Exporting ACE’s early diagnosis model to Europe

One of the current challenges in this field is raising awareness among cognitively healthy individuals about the importance of knowing their cognitive performance and detecting Alzheimer’s disease in cases of subjective memory complaints or cognitive impairment, highlighting the value of prevention and early diagnosis. Fundació ACE, a pioneer in promoting early diagnosis awareness, launched its Open House Days in 2008.

Under the slogan “If we check our blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar… why not our memory?”, the Open House Days are aimed at people over the age of 55 who voluntarily wish to undergo an assessment of memory, language and other cognitive functions using the neuropsychological battery employed by Fundació ACE in its diagnostic process. In addition to contributing this citizen participation model for early Alzheimer’s detection, Fundació ACE coordinates this clinical research project involving approximately 2,000 patients.

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is a public-private partnership between the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), the representative body of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe. Established in 2008, IMI aims to foster pharmaceutical innovation in Europe and accelerate the development of safer and more effective medicines. With a budget of €2 billion, part of IMI’s mission is to support research projects that promote collaboration networks between industrial and academic experts, with the ultimate goal of driving pharmaceutical innovation across Europe.