Aga Khan University’s BMI partner with global Alzheimer’s collective to address research gaps in dementia in Africa

KENYA — The Aga Khan University’s Brain & Mind Institute (AKU-BMI) and the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), have launched a research program to tackle brain aging and dementia in Kenya building on their existing program on Alzheimer’s research.

The research programme for dementia seeks to address the lack of diversity in dementia research, improve care, and increase access to innovative treatments across Africa.

BMI aims to explore the various factors influencing brain aging and dementia from a comprehensive perspective that includes ecological, biological, psychological, and social elements.

Moreover, it will take on a holistic approach to tackle dementia, especially when it occurs alongside other diseases, by promoting brain health resilience throughout a person’s life.

Dr Vaibhav Narayan, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy and Innovation said,“DAC is committed to working with researchers, communities, and healthcare systems around the world to advance understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease among diverse populations.”

Dr. Narayan added that DAC was delighted to partner with the Brain Mind Institute at the Aga Khan University to realize this mission.

The first phase of the research project will utilize rapid ethnographic approaches to explore contextual meanings, attitudes, and perceptions around dementia through qualitative interviews and focus group discussions.

In the second phase of the project, researchers will work closely with neurologists at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi to characterize a large cohort of people living with dementia alongside a parallel group of typically aging Kenyan adults.

Prof Zul Merali, Founding Director, BMI added at the partnership announcement that the BMI-DAC partnership addresses the growing challenge of dementia, which we will all be increasingly facing in the near future, especially in LMICs.

“By acting now, especially in Africa where the population is young (median age of 20 years), we have the opportunity to avert the Alzheimer’s pandemic,” Prof. Merali said.

Dr Carl Amrhein, Provost, and Vice President, Academic at the Aga Khan University expressed his belief that these research efforts will lead to significant improvements in dementia research, education, outreach, and healthcare services at BMI, benefiting the communities they serve.

Dr Amrhein said, “I expect that these efforts will also lead to the further expansion and growth of the BMI-DAC partnership and will ultimately result in vast improvements in the lives of those living with this debilitating condition in the communities we serve.”

Drew Holzapfel, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Chief Operating Officer said that precision medicine in neuroscience was their vision, and this collaboration marked the start to propel these efforts forward.

Holzapfel noted, “Our goal is to create the required infrastructure for reducing risks, conducting research, and developing personalized treatments for neurological health.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two-thirds of the world’s population over 60 years old will live in low- and middle-income countries by 2050.

Kenya’s aging population is expected to double in the next three decades, with a 316% increase in people living with dementia by 2050, as reported by Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries (STRIDE) Kenya.

Moreover, dementia research has been predominantly focused on Global North societies, resulting in a severe lack of scientific information about dementia in the Global South.

Demystifying the science behind brain aging, especially in the African context

In May 2022, AKU-BMI announced its first partnership with DAC to launch a two-part research program for Alzheimer’s disease.

Specifically, the two parts are a research study, and a clinical trial, where both will address the longstanding lack of diversity in Alzheimer’s research, aims to improve care, and increase access to future innovative treatments throughout Africa. 

To date, nearly all studies of Alzheimer’s disease have been conducted on white populations of Western European origin, meaning that 90 percent of the world’s population has been left out.

DAC is responding to this lack of diversity by building a cohort of one million people, to date, 30 cohorts from 23 countries within North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, and with this new partnership with the Brain & Mind Institute (BMI). 

The partnership is a trailblazing collaboration to fundamentally rethink Alzheimer’s data collection and analysis.

Because the research will be open source, it will help scientists and researchers worldwide gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s in vulnerable and underserved populations; which in turn, can accelerate the development of new treatments reflecting a precision medicine approach. 

DAC and BMI will use local networks and on-the-ground healthcare providers to collect blood and conduct digital cognitive assessments, which are critical to identifying biomarkers that may indicate the presence of Alzheimer’s disease. 

DAC is transforming research in Alzheimer’s, working with researchers to make sure they have the tools and technology to gather data, then pooling this information so the global scientific community can understand the heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease.

The DAC/AKU partnership will play a key role in shaping a future of accessible, globally competent Alzheimer’s treatment. 

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