Two hundred older adults in north Alabama could help rewrite the standard of care for people at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, in partnership with Seattle-based Phenome Health and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, Calif., have launched a pilot study on the role that genetics and lifestyle play in Alzheimer’s risk.

The program aims to develop screening tools and prevention strategies that could be applied broadly in clinical practice, according to the researchers.

Nick Cochran, a HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator and lead researcher on the study, said in a news release that Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias might take years to manifest symptoms. That means early detection and lifestyle changes could greatly improve a patient’s quality of life.

“This project is a chance to shift from reacting to preventing,” Cochran said. “We’re exploring whether giving people personalized health information can empower them to make changes that protect brain health.”

The study, called HOPE AD – or Healthy Outcomes through Phenomic Explorations for Alzheimer’s Disease – is enrolling participants at the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine in Huntsville.

Researchers are looking for 200 healthy adults between 65 and 75 who have a close family member with dementia but who do not have cognitive impairment themselves.

Eligible participants will undergo routine medical exams at the Smith Family Clinic, including cognitive testing and wellness assessments. All participants will receive clinical results, according to the researchers, including:

• APOE status. APOE is considered one of the strongest genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
• Polygenic risk score. This analysis builds a picture of genetic disease risk using multiple genes.
• pTau217 protein levels. This brain protein “biomarker” is known to rise early in Alzheimer’s patients.

Those identified to have elevated risk of Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia will be invited to continue with the study through a yearlong lifestyle-intervention program. The program will include personalized coaching on factors like nutrition, physical activity, sleep and cognitive engagement — all of which could reduce the risk of developing dementia.

The study uses a “phenomic” approach, which involves capturing highly detailed data about participants’ health, environment, and lifestyle, according to HudsonAlpha. This helps researchers paint a fuller picture of dementia risk than genetics alone.

The investigators “want to understand how knowing their risk affects people’s choices,” said Meagan Cochran, director of the Smith Family Clinic and a co-investigator on the study. “Do they feel more motivated to take action? That’s a crucial part of prevention that we hope this study will help answer.”

Results from the pilot will inform a more extensive study in the coming years.

To learn more about the HOPE AD study, including criteria for enrollment, visit hudsonalpha.org/hopead or call the Smith Family Clinic at 256-327-9640.