Today is September 21, World Alzheimer's Day, a date that we continue to commemorate year after year. At the Pasqual Maragall Foundation we have been fighting daily for more than 13 years to erase this date from the calendar, because achieving this would mean that we have defeated Alzheimer's. But to achieve this there is only one way: more and better scientific research.
Alzheimer's is responsible for 75% of dementias, which are chronic health disorders that affect more than 900,000 people in Spain. We are facing a silent and structural pandemic that will only find definitive answers through science and research, which is why it is urgent to work together to find solutions.
Scientific efforts have allowed us to have a clearer picture of the disease and to direct the paths of its research. Today we know that abnormalities occur in the brains of affected people up to 15 or 20 years before the first symptoms appear.
From the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), a research center of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, we focus our work on this preclinical and asymptomatic stage of the disease.
In the last two years, there have been very important advances in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, thanks to the use of blood biomarkers that will revolutionize the approach to the disease. In this regard, a study by the BBRC stands out, which in the near future will help us detect who is at greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease with a simple blood test, which will improve access to future treatments and allow the implementation of prevention strategies.
To strengthen this line of work, we have launched a new research group that aims to develop biomarkers, discover new therapeutic targets and provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
In our country, we have a great scientific capital to provide key knowledge in the global fight against this disease and it is essential to take advantage of this potential and provide it with greater support and resources.
At the Pasqual Maragall Foundation we believe that raising awareness of this reality and consolidating our efforts is essential, but we will only achieve this if administrations, legislators, scientific institutions, social and health entities and all those who work in this field join forces in a supportive manner.
It is urgent to provide a budget for the Comprehensive Alzheimer's Plan and it is essential to invest in research. We must commit to working together for a future without Alzheimer's, as we asked in the Congress of Deputies on September 13 at a joint event with entities related to Alzheimer's and dementia.
Every day we are closer to forgetting this world day. As Pasqual Maragall said “Nowhere is it written that Alzheimer's is invincibleTogether we can erase this date from the calendar and make September 21st a day to forget.
