The Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit has received a $1.9 million grant to investigate possible preventive interventions for Alzheimer's and Dementia.

The award from the Alzheimer’s Association is from the ‘Part the Cloud-Gates Partnership Grant Program’ which has announced $24 million in funding for 16 innovative Alzheimer’s trials.

The Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit, based at Imperial’s School of Public Health, will lead on the trial in collaboration with partner institutes in Sweden and Finland. The Met-FINGER-APOE randomized controlled trial will investigate how a combination of lifestyle changes and a medication called metformin could help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Metformin is a safe and effective drug for treating type 2 diabetes. Studies show that individuals with diabetes may be more likely to develop dementia, and metformin may have a beneficial impact on the brain. 

The study will take place across three countries (UK, Sweden and Finland) with 600 participants receiving the interventions over two years. This study will build on the FINGER (Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability) study which was the first randomized controlled trial showing that it is possible to prevent cognitive decline using a multidomain lifestyle intervention among older at-risk individuals and has now been expanded to the World-Wide FINGERS network.

Professor Miia Kivipelto, Chair in Neurology and Director of the Ageing Epidemiology Research Unit who will lead the study said: “We are looking forward to starting this first trial testing an updated version of the initial FINGER multidomain lifestyle intervention model. This FINGER 2.0 version combines for the first time lifestyle changes with a potential disease-modifying drug. The MET-FINGER-APOE trial is an important step towards a more personalised approach to dementia prevention.”