Yesterday, Wednesday 18 September 2024, saw the signing ceremony of the agreement between the Rosa Maria Vivar Foundation and IDIBAPS, through which the Foundation will fund, with €120,000, an Alzheimer's research project led by Raquel Sánchez-Valle, head of the IDIBAPS group Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders and medical director of the Hospital Clínic, together with Anna Antonell, a researcher from the same group.
Alzheimer's is the most common neurodegenerative disease, accounting for between 60 and 70% of dementia cases. It is estimated that there are more than 50 million people affected worldwide and that this figure will increase to 152 million by 2050. Although both men and women suffer from it, women make up to two-thirds of cases, without there being any clear explanation for this disparity.
The aim of the study funded by the Rosa Maria Vivar Foundation, is to better understand why women are at greater risk of developing the disease. To do this, it will analyse the levels of 120 proteins associated with the central nervous system in cerebrospinal fluid. It will do so by comparing 258 men and women - both people with the disease and healthy people. Among others, the aim is to analyse how the APOE4 genotype, which previous studies have shown is related to the development of Alzheimer's, affects the expression of these proteins.
To carry this out, an innovative analysis platform will be used (the NULISAseq™ CNS Disease Panel 120) which allows the analysis of proteins in cerebrospinal fluid with a higher sensitivity than other available methods. It is a very precise instrument that can detect very low levels of proteins and will allow the identification of patterns and markers that were previously difficult to discover. “This innovative approach will use the most advanced technology to better understand neurodegenerative diseases and bring us closer to precision medicine,” states Raquel Sánchez del Valle.
The signing ceremony, which took place at the IDIBAPS headquarters, was attended by Elías Campo, director of IDIBAPS, David Badia, manager, Michela Bertero, Director of Strategy and the researchers involved in the project Raquel Sánchez-Valle, Anna Antonell and Albert Lladó. On behalf of the Rosa Maria Vivar Foundation it was attended by the president of the Foundation, Margarita Oliva, and the members of the board of trustees: Felix Oliva, Josep Vara, Xavier Teixidor and Santiago Oliva.
About the Rosa María Vivar Foundation
The Rosa María Vivar Foundation is an organisation whose mission is to work to prevent the disease and to improve the lives of people suffering from it. That is why it launched the new Therapeutic Centre for Alzheimer’s and Memory Unit, located in Reus. In addition, it is developing projects related to Alzheimer's research and designed to support people and families suffering from this disease.
