The Early Detection of Neurodegenerative diseases initiative: an international and multidisciplinary effort for transforming the early detection of dementia‐causing diseases

Background Around 50 million people have dementia worldwide, with nearly 10 new cases every year. Diagnosis is complex and often relies on expensive invasive measures, most patients accessing medical support when they already experience symptoms. Method The Early Detection of Neurodegenerative diseases (EDoN) initiative, spearheaded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, brings together over 60 experts from 49 universities, research projects, patient cohorts technology providers to create machine learning models detect the earliest stages dementia-causing diseases. EDoN has reviewed behavioural physiological modalities strongest association pre-clinical disease. Result Over 140 were identified review shortlisted version 1 digital toolkit. This first includes Mezurio Longevity smartphone apps, a Fitbit charge 4 activity tracker Dreem 3 sleep headband. Toolkit was further refined through public involvement studies collects 26 measures related 7 aspects behaviour physiology (cognition, neural activity, physical heart rate, fine motor movement, sleep, language speech). now being used collect data in four international (Boston University Disease Center - BU ADRC; predictors COgnitive DECline attenders memory clinic using devices CODEC-2; Western Australia Memory Study WAMS; Healthy Brain Aging HBA), alongside prospective retrospective clinical data, inform development models. Conclusion will build markers, validating them against other biomarkers predict subtypes individualised disease trajectories. Based outputs initial models, go series iterations cohort engagement, modality tool refinement, collection. Workstreams are underway security, privacy, ethics open policy research, as well considering integration final into healthcare systems globally. aims deliver cost-effective, low burden population-wide method for early detection that benefit public, patients, carers, researchers clinicians, broader system delivery therapies.