Alzheimer's disease. Illustration of amyloid plaques amongst neurons. Amyloid plaques are characteristic features of Alzheimer's disease. They lead to degeneration of the affected neurons, which are destroyed through the activity of microglia cells.
King’s College London has announced a groundbreaking European initiative aimed at accelerating the implementation of scientific innovations for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) management. The project, known as ACCESS-AD, is co-led by King’s College London, Amsterdam UMC, Siemens Healthineers, and Gates Ventures. It is funded by the European Commission’s Innovative Health Initiative with an initial budget of over €37 million over five years, of which King’s College London has been awarded €2.8 million.
The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is rising sharply and is projected to affect more than 19 million people in Europe by 2050. Current rates are already exerting significant pressure on healthcare systems, resulting in delays in diagnostic testing, brain imaging, and structured clinical follow-up. These delays increase the risk of postponed treatment and poorer patient outcomes.
ACCESS-AD’s Comprehensive Approach
ACCESS-AD aims to address these challenges by accelerating innovation and enhancing equitable access to timely and effective care. The initiative will integrate brain imaging, blood-based biomarkers, digital monitoring tools, AI-driven decision support, and real-world evidence into a seamless patient pathway. Its design is intended to expedite diagnostic confirmation, support the safe administration of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), and broaden access to advanced innovations beyond specialist centers, including primary care and underserved regions.
“By combining technological innovation with economic, ethical, regulatory and patient perspectives, we aim to chart a sustainable, scalable and equitable pathway for the implementation of new AD diagnostics and therapies.” — Professor Dag Aarsland, Professor of Old Age Psychiatry, King’s College London
Innovative Diagnostic Tools
A central focus of the project is the combination of advanced yet accessible neuroimaging with expanded use of fluid and digital biomarkers. This approach will support early and accurate patient identification, enabling timely diagnosis and entry into personalized treatment pathways that may include DMTs, targeted lifestyle interventions, and nutritional strategies. ACCESS-AD also aims to democratize access to tools historically available only in centers of excellence, such as accelerated MRI protocols, quantitative amyloid PET/CT, and automated safety monitoring.
“By bringing together academic, clinical, and industry expertise from across Europe, ACCESS-AD will be able to identify novel personalized lifestyle and therapeutic interventions for the prevention of cognitive decline and to promote healthy brain aging in the population.” — Dr. Richard Siow, Director of Ageing Research at King’s
Pan-European AD Registry
A cornerstone of ACCESS-AD is its pan-European AD registry, leveraging the established InRAD platform. This infrastructure will collect real-world data from more than 500 patients across various health systems, capturing safety, clinical evolution, and treatment outcomes under routine clinical conditions. The registry will also support a pilot study testing the feasibility of combining DMTs with a multicomponent lifestyle intervention and nutritional supplement strategy.
Recognizing the need for equitable and scalable implementation, ACCESS-AD integrates health-economic modeling, regulatory development, ethical reflection, and sustainability assessments. European Patient Advisory Boards will ensure that patient and caregiver needs and values are embedded throughout the project. ACCESS-AD builds on other IHI initiatives, including PROMINENT, PREDICTOM, AD-RIDDLE, and EPND, ensuring that advances in early detection, biomarker innovation, and data infrastructure translate into improved diagnosis, treatment, and care.
“ACCESS-AD is bringing together cutting-edge diagnostics and personalized treatment in a way that can be delivered at scale. By integrating neuroimaging with fluid and digital biomarkers, we can identify people at risk earlier and guide them into tailored treatment pathways that combine disease-modifying therapies with lifestyle and nutritional strategies.” — Dr. Zunera Khan, Research Portfolio Lead at King’s
Future Implications and Next Steps
The ACCESS-AD initiative represents a significant step forward in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease in Europe. By focusing on early diagnosis and personalized treatment pathways, the project aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burden on healthcare systems. As the initiative progresses, its findings and methodologies could serve as a model for similar efforts worldwide, potentially transforming Alzheimer’s care on a global scale.
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101253010, with backing from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program and COCIR, EFPIA, Europa Bío, MedTech Europe, and Vaccines Europe.
