Welke biomarkers kunnen gebruikt worden om te komen tot maatwerk diagnostiek, therapie en zorg, in lijn met de karakteristieken en wensen van de individuele patiënt?
Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. The number of people with dementia in the Netherlands will greatly increase the next years, due to aging of our society. 70% of patients live at home, supported by informal caregivers. 50% of these caregivers work and have the care of own children. Dementia negatively affects the live and health not only of the patient, but also of these caregivers, more than any other disease.
Years of intensive research have left us without effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Much of this research has been limited to monogenetic disease models that reflect the rare (<1%) familial (genetic) forms of Alzheimer’s disease, with an age of onset <65 years. Treatments that have been developed based on these models have repeatedly failed to show benefit in the common (> 99%) form of Alzheimer’s disease with age of onset > 65 years. At present, the heterogeneity in the etiology, clinical presentation, and progression of this common form of Alzheimer’s disease remain largerly unrecognized. Our mission is to have a significant impact on the personalization of dementia care by addressing the above research question.