The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) is the largest international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science and clinical practice. Each year, AAIC convenes researchers, clinicians, and dementia professionals from all career stages to share breaking research discoveries and clinical practice education that will lead to improvements in diagnosis, risk reduction, and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. From basic science to dementia care, every aspect of the field’s growing knowledge of dementia is incorporated into this world-class conference.
Dr. Victor Faradji is attending the conference and will be providing daily video updates from AAIC highlights.
Thursday, July 16, 2026 – AAIC Highlights
With Dr. Khalid Iqbal, “The father of Tau.” Together with his late wife, Dr. Inge Grundke-Iqbal, they are credited for discovering that the abnormal phosphorylation of Tau was implicated in Alzheimer’s disease pathology. This is the basis of our current use of P-Tau 217 blood-based biomarker for screening of AD.Victor Faradji, MD, FAAN, talks about the week
at the Alzheimer’s Association International
Conference (AAIC) in London.
Today’s AAIC 2026 Press Release:
Research Advances from the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference
The latest scientific advances reported at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® 2026 (AAIC®) included new insights into Alzheimer’s blood tests for improving diagnosis in primary care and for predicting future cognitive decline.
Other new research reported at AAIC 2026 told the story of global adaptation and expansion of a successful lifestyle intervention to improve cognitive abilities, a promising treatment to ease late-stage Alzheimer’s agitation, and new data on the brain health risks of playing soccer. Highlights include:
- Knowing the results of an Alzheimer’s blood test helped family doctors diagnose the disease with nearly the same accuracy as specialists in a large real-world study in Sweden.
- A blood test measuring an Alzheimer’s-related protein called p-tau217 may help predict a person’s risk of developing cognitive decline 5 or 10 years before any memory or thinking problems appear, according to one of the largest studies of its kind.
- A healthy lifestyle program with structured coaching and support – based on the U.S. POINTER Study — improved cognitive abilities in older adults at risk for cognitive decline across 11 countries in Latin America, confirming this approach can be adapted to work effectively across diverse cultures, languages, and health systems.
- In a Phase 2 clinical trial, a cannabis-derived treatment significantly reduced agitation in people with advanced Alzheimer’s and other dementias, offering new hope for comfort and dignity in the final stages of the disease.
- The first and largest study of its kind found measurable differences in brain health in retired professional soccer players.
AAIC is the premier annual conference for presentation and discussion of the latest Alzheimer’s and dementia research. This year’s conference in London and online attracted more than 11,000 registered attendees and included more than 7,800 scientific submissions. AAIC 2027 will be held in Chicago.
Read more – https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/overview.asp
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 – AAIC Highlights
Dr. Faradji presented his poster at the AAIC
Today’s AAIC 2026 Press Release:
Blood Test May Help Predict Alzheimer’s Risk a Decade Before Symptoms Appear
A blood test that detects a protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease may help predict future cognitive impairment in older adults who are currently symptom-free, according to new research presented today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2026 in London and online, and simultaneously published in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association).
Researchers found that higher levels of the blood biomarker p-tau217 predicted faster cognitive decline, with the strongest effects in study participants with elevated amyloid beta based on a PET scan. Cognitively healthy older adults with very high p-tau217 had an approximately 78% risk of developing cognitive impairment (defined as mild cognitive impairment or MCI, dementia, or a consecutive clinical dementia rating or CDR, of 0.5) over 10 years, and about a 1-in-3 chance within five years. Even in those with slightly elevated p-tau217 (just over the average), the absolute risk of cognitive impairment was 15% and 45% over 5 and 10 years, respectively.
Read more – https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/blood-test-p-tau217-predicts-alzheimers-risk.asp
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 – AAIC Highlights
Dr. Faradji with Dr. Daisy Acosta, Dominican Republic. Plenary speaker, co-investigator of the 10/66 dementia study.
Dr. Higgins and Dr. Faradji with Dr. Maria Carrillo, Chief Science Officer for the Alzheimer’s Association, and co-investigator of the US Pointer study to prevent dementia.
AAIC26 Tuesday Highlights from Dr. Faradji.
Today’s AAIC 2026 Press Releases:
Topline Results from LiBBY Trial Show THC/CBD Combination Significantly Reduces Agitation for People with Dementia at End of Life
A combination of CBD and THC rapidly and significantly reduces agitation in hospice-eligible people with dementia, suggest topline results from the Phase 2 LiBBY (Life’s End Benefits of cannaBidiol and tetrahYdrocannabinol) clinical trial. The findings were reported for the first time at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2026 in London.
The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated a novel oral formulation (2 mg THC/100 mg CBD dissolved in digestible oil, provided twice a day) in 120 participants with dementia who were eligible or received hospice care and were experiencing clinically significant agitation. The trial achieved its primary and key secondary endpoints.
Read more – https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/libby-trial-thc-cbd-agitation-late-stage-dementia.asp
Alzheimer’s Blood Test Could Bring Highly Accurate Diagnosis into Everyday Clinical Care
Knowledge of blood test results enables primary care physicians to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with essentially the same accuracy as specialists, a major step toward expanding access to an accurate diagnosis for millions of patients, suggests new data reported for the first time at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2026 in London and online.
In one of the first real-world studies of its kind — including more than 1,300 patients and 165 physicians — researchers found that a blood-based biomarker test significantly improved the accuracy of Alzheimer’s diagnosis in both primary and specialty care settings. The test measures amyloid beta and phosphorylated tau, both of which are abnormal brain proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
Read more – https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/alzheimers-blood-test-accurate-diagnosis-pcp.asp
LEQEMBI® Real-World LEADER Study Presented at AAIC® 2026 Finds Over 75% of Early Alzheimer’s Patients Enrolled in the Study Remained Stable and Nearly 7% Improved Over an Average of 17 Months of Treatment
Eisai Co., Ltd. and Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced today that results from the real-world Lecanemab in Early Alzheimer’s Disease (LEADER) Study show that nearly 83% of early Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients enrolled in the study remained stable (75.9%) or improved (6.6%) while receiving LEQEMBI® therapy over an average of 17 months. The results were consistent across sex, race, ethnicity, and APOE genotype. The data was presented during the “Developing Topics Session #3-33-DEV-A: Lecanemab Three Years Post-Approval: A Comprehensive Multicenter, Real-World, Retrospective Study (LEADER) in Diverse US Clinical Settings” at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2026 in London and online.
Monday, July 13, 2026 – AAIC Highlights
Dr. Victor Faradji, with Mr. Haruo Naito, KBE, President and CEO, Eisai LTD, at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in London.
Today’s AAIC 2026 Press Releases:
Alzheimer’s Association Launches “PROTECT-Cog” Study to Test U.S. POINTER Lifestyle and GLP-1 or Similar Drug to Cut Risk of Cognitive Decline
The Alzheimer’s Association today announced the launch of the PROTECT-Cog Study (Prevention of Risk fOr cogniTive dEcline through Combined Therapy), a first-of-its-kind global clinical trial designed to evaluate whether combining a proven multidomain lifestyle intervention with a metabolism-targeting drug, such as a GLP-1 agonist, can further reduce the risk of cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia in at-risk older adults.
Read more – https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/new-study-protect-cog-glp-1-dementia.asp
Lifestyle Program Improves Brain Health Among Older Adults at Risk for Dementia Across Latin America
The LatAm-FINGERS study shows lifestyle interventions adapted across Latin American cultures, health systems, and communities can improve memory, thinking, and overall cognitive function in older adults at risk for cognitive decline and dementia.
The results reinforce findings from the U.S. POINTER trial showing that a multi-component lifestyle intervention with structured guidance, coaching, and peer support improves cognitive function more than a self-guided approach in at-risk older adults.
Read more – https://aaic.alz.org/releases-2026/latam-fingers-improves-brain-health-latin-america.asp