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Clinical Digest: January Update
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Dear ISTAART Member,
Happy 2026! Welcome to the January ISTAART Clinical Digest. In this issue, we're excited to share several important updates and opportunities for clinicians. You'll find calls for clinical session proposals at AAIC 2026, updates on Project ECHO and the latest news from US POINTER, which continues to advance our understanding of lifestyle interventions for brain health. Additionally, explore recent clinical highlights from our journals, featuring cutting-edge research and practical insights, along with funding opportunities that are tailored to you.
Read on to explore this month's updates.
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Announcements, Events and Opportunities
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AAIC 2026 Clinical Toolbox Sessions
The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is still accepting submissions for Clinical Toolbox sessions! This track in the AAIC program will host sessions designed to enhance clinical knowledge and collaboration across specialties, offering a comprehensive view of patient care in dementia. Clinicians from all fields—geriatricians, neurologists, neuropsychologists, nurses, primary care physicians, psychiatrists, and more—are invited to submit abstracts to share insights, best practices, and the latest advancements. Submissions will close Jan. 16. Visit alz.org/AAIC to learn more.
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Building Workforce Capacity: Project ECHO® for Alzheimer's and Dementia
Across the globe, critical workforce shortages limit access to specialized Alzheimer's and dementia diagnosis and care—especially in underserved and rural communities. The Alzheimer's Association is addressing this challenge through Project ECHO, a no-cost, interactive telementoring program designed to strengthen local capacity.
- What is Project ECHO? Project ECHO connects leading experts with community-based professionals through virtual sessions that combine concise, evidence-based lectures with collaborative case discussions. Participants share real-world scenarios, explore challenges and develop practical solutions together. This approach fosters knowledge exchange and builds sustainable expertise in dementia awareness, detection, diagnosis and care management.
- Why It Matters. The ECHO model is evidence-based, scalable and impactful. By expanding its use for dementia care, the Alzheimer's Association aims to empower local professionals globally, improve patient outcomes and reduce disparities in access to specialized care.
- Want to Learn More? Take a look at this flyer, or join the Alzheimer's Association Project ECHO team at one of their virtual drop-in learning sessions, An Introduction to Project ECHO. Or reach out directly to the ECHO team at projectecho@alz.org.
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Updates from U.S. POINTER
The Alzheimer's Association U.S. Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce Risk (U.S. POINTER) trial published its initial results in JAMA last July and reported them at AAIC 2025. For people at risk of memory loss or dementia, the U.S. POINTER study found that a structured lifestyle program improved thinking and memory over two years. Participants in the structured program showed memory and thinking skills comparable to people who were one-to-two years younger.
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Findings from three of the four U.S. POINTER ancillary studies, reported at the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer's disease (CTAD) 2025 meeting in December, described benefits as measured by brain imaging, sleep health, and blood pressure regulation. The study demonstrated that participants in the structured intervention also experienced improved blood pressure regulation of blood flow to the brain, reduced sleep apnea respiratory events, and increased cognitive resilience for adults with certain Alzheimer's-related brain changes. Read more here.
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ALZ-NET Data Access
To advance the science fueling Alzheimer's treatment and care, everyone can explore the no-cost, publicly available ALZ-NET Data Dashboard. The Dashboard is an interactive analytics and visualization platform that provides open access to aggregated, de-identified registry data.
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Every dataset undergoes a strict de-identification process in line with robust privacy and security standards. Access is governed by the Data User Code of Conduct, which all users must agree to in order to ensure the ethical and responsible use of ALZ-NET data.
Clinicians and researchers interested in asking research questions that use data collected as part of ALZ-NET can submit a Data Access and Use Request (DAUR) to the ALZ-NET Data Access and Use Committee. Requests will be reviewed and approved on a rolling basis.
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ALZPro: A Clinician's Toolbox for Dementia Care
ALZPro brings together practical, evidence-based tools to support clinicians in delivering person-centered dementia care. Explore featured resources designed to enhance everyday practice, like:
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TrialMatch
Share TrialMatch with patients, caregivers, or healthy volunteers as a free, easy-to-use clinical study matching service offered by the Alzheimer's Association. TrialMatch connects individuals with actively enrolling treatment, diagnostic, prevention, observational, and quality-of-life studies both locally and nationally. Learn more.
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Bridge Funding for Disrupted Neurodegenerative Research
The Alzheimer's Association and The Michael J. Fox Foundation, along with support from the Robertson Foundation and other partners, have launched a new program to provide short-term bridge funding (3–12 months) for early-career researchers whose Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and related neurodegenerative research has been disrupted by shifts in federal priorities. Letters of Intent are now open. The next deadline is December 15; watch for January and beyond dates. Learn more here.
Alzheimer's Association Research Grant For All (AARGA)
The Alzheimer's Association Research Grant For All (AARGA) program aims to fund early-career investigators to enable them to develop preliminary or pilot data that lay the groundwork for future research grant applications. Investigators who have been in the position of an Assistant Professor (or equivalent) for no more than seven years are eligible to apply. Programs open this month. Visit alz.org/grants for more info.
Alzheimer's Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship for All (AACSFA)
The Alzheimer's Association Clinician Scientist Fellowship for All (AACSFA) Program supports the training of clinician scientists in Alzheimer's and all other dementias. Applicants are eligible for this program that are (1) within 15 years of receiving their M.D., D.O. or Ph.D. (or equivalent); (2) have active licensure for clinical practice; and (3) actively care for patients in a healthcare setting at the time of submission. Positions higher than Assistant Professor (or an equivalent position) will not be considered. Programs open this month. Visit alz.org/grants for more info.
For more information about the Alzheimer's Association grant programs, visit alz.org/grants, or you can contact a member of the Alzheimer's Association Grants staff at grantsapp@alz.org.
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Alzheimer's & Dementia®: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association
Treatment-related amyloid clearance (TRAC): a framework to characterize patients in the era of anti-amyloid therapies
La Joie et al. outline the conclusions of the Alzheimer's Association–convened workgroup aimed to better characterize clinical management of patients included in future intervention trials. With the approval of anti-amyloid beta (Aβ) therapies, the need for consistent terminology and guidance to characterize biological responses to treatment is necessary. The working group proposed a term, Treatment-Related Amyloid Clearance (TRAC) to describe biomarker-evidence of amyloid reduction during therapeutic intervention. TRAC is a pharmacodynamic designation of observed changes through validated biomarkers in place of direct neuropathological assessment. The TRAC framework is designed to apply towards individuals who meet specific criteria, (1) have biomarker-confirmed cerebral Aβ deposition before initiating therapy, (2) receive an Aβ-targeting agent, and (3) undergo follow-up testing demonstrating a measurable decrease in Aβ burden. Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is the recommended modality to define TRAC with an emphasis on quantitative PET metrics. In order to capture clinically relevant variation in treatment response, TRAC is subdivided into Full TRAC and Partial TRAC. Full TRAC refers to post-treatment PET values that fall below a pre-specified threshold for amyloid positivity, while Partial TRAC is a meaningful decline but remains above the positivity cutoff. Using these classifications will allow for stronger patient stratification in research settings and help inform therapeutic decision making. By providing this range of information, TRAC is designed to be adaptable to ongoing clinical information and integration of real-world data. The TRAC framework is aimed to provide guidance for future trials and optimize care for individuals receiving anti-Aβ therapies.
DOI: 10.1002/alz.70997
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Behavior & Socioeconomics of Aging (BSEA)
Functional ability in cognitive complaints: The role of neuropsychiatric and cognitive factors in community-dwelling older adults
Forno et al. detailed findings from an original study on the relationships between functional ability and neuropsychiatric or cognitive factors among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive complaints (CCs) who reside in a Latin American Country (LAC). Participants (N=290) were recruited from the Geroscience Center for Brain Health and Metabolism (GERO) Cohort. Functional ability was operationalized by complex activities of daily living (ADLs), including instrumental ADLs (IADLs, related to financial or other activities for independence), advanced ADLs (a-ADLs, related to social and community engagement), basic ADLS (BADLs, related to personal grooming), and technology-related ADLs as measured by the Technology–ADL Questionnaire (T-ADLQ). Complex ADLs were compared against neuropsychiatric and cognitive factors to explore how much variance in functional outcomes could be attributed to these domains. Key findings included apathy as a key predictor of reduced overall functional ability, showing a robust association with global scores on the T-ADLQ. Depression was linked to impairments in both a-ADLs and BADLs, linking neuropsychiatric variables to difficulties across levels of functional complexity. Cognitive variables of naming and processing speed were also associated with ADLs based on complexity. Overall, this study highlights the impact of neuropsychiatric factors, such as depression and apathy, on complex ADLs in the GERO Cohort. Study results underscore the continued need for interventions, particularly pertaining to neuropsychiatric factors, to help preserve functional independence of older adults in LACs.
DOI: 10.1002/bsa3.70051
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment, & Disease Monitoring (DADM)
How can Alzheimer's disease blood-based biomarkers reach clinical practice?
Perneczky et al. synthesize insights from an international roundtable of clinicians and biomarker specialists convened to evaluate the clinical integration of blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) for diagnosing early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease (AD). The roundtable discussion included ten international experienced AD clinicians and biomarker experts to focus on the incorporation of BBM's in routine practice. In the current biomarker landscape, established markers in neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid offer greater diagnostic accuracy but are not fully utilized in primary care due to concerns about invasiveness, cost, and infrastructure demands. Thus, the roundtable discussion aimed to provide insight on BBMs for clinical practice. The experts outlined an optimal diagnostic workflow incorporating BBMs and identified three major barriers hindering their implementation. The major barriers include the scarcity of real-world performance data, resource limitations across clinical settings, and broader system-level obstacles such as workflow integration and reimbursement. Despite barriers, the experts emphasized that BBMs may facilitate streamlined diagnostic pathways as well as accelerate accurate identification of disease. Collectively, this discussion highlights the promise of BBMs alongside the need for continued evidence generation and coordinated efforts among health systems to reduce barriers for implementation.
DOI: 10.1002/dad2.70207
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions (TRCI)
Assessing safety and efficacy in subpopulations in Alzheimer's disease clinical trials: contextualizing representativeness
Shan and Cummings highlight the critical challenges in AD clinical trials related to interpreting treatment effects within demographic and biological subgroups. This perspective article addresses the need for adequately powered clinical subgroups to draw definitive conclusions. In ADRD clinical trials, the main trial outcomes aim to detect efficacy and safety in the overall population, but diverse subgroup analyses can provide critical insights on the impact of trials on factors such as age, APOE status, ethnoracial backgrounds, and exposure to amyloid therapies. Shan and Cummings outline rigorous methodological strategies to support informative subgroup evaluations. These methods include the use of standardized terminology, prespecification of subgroup outcomes, stratified randomization, and formal interaction analyses. These recommendations help ensure proper control of potential confounding factors. Additional analyses such as non-inferiority testing may be useful to understand differential subgroup results in the context of underpowered sample size. Key recommendations include transparent reporting of analytic assumptions and limitations. Overall, this article supports a greater understanding of safety and efficacy in subgroups involved in clinical trials and the importance of generalizable conclusions for candidate therapies.
DOI: 10.1002/trc2.70186
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We want to hear from you!
Do you have ideas on how to improve ISTAART? Do you have questions about your membership, or would you like to learn how to get involved? Reach out to us at ISTAART@alz.org and join the conversation on ISTAART Community at alz.org/ISTAARTclinicians.
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational purposes and is not intended to provide medical advice. This communication is intended for clinicians specializing in dementia. If you received this message in error or would prefer not to receive further updates, please contact ISTAART.
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