WELCOME: GLOBAL BHP BRAINTRUST
A Message from Andrea Pfeifer, Chair of the Global BHP BrainTrust

How can we prevent Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s disease? 

Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s have long stood among the most complex and pressing health challenges of our time. Part of what makes them so difficult to solve is the complexity in understanding the specific proteins involved. Scientifically, we speak of amyloid-beta, tau and alpha-synclein that are the proteins that misfold and clump together, damaging brain cells and leading to their gradual loss.

Despite their complexity, research has shown that targeting amyloid-beta can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The first approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), which are lab-made proteins designed to target and remove harmful substances like amyloid-bet in the brain, confirmed something we’ve long suspected: the earlier we intervene, the better the outcomes. However, while promising, these treatments are extremely costly.

In this respect, active immunotherapies present a paradigm shift of prevention. Active immunotherapies train the body to produce its own antibodies and can be used as a maintenance therapy, as a standalone treatment and as a preventative strategy before symptoms appear.

At the heart of this strategy is Precision Prevention, the idea that timely, targeted intervention based on individual risk and biomarker profiles can preserve brain health before damage begins. With an estimated 300 million people already living with preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, the need for new frontiers and preventive action has never been clearer. Prevention isn’t any longer an option-it becomes a necessity.