Each June, we come together to recognize Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month—a time to raise visibility for the 55 million worldwide living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or related dementias. This month reminds us of the urgent need for scientific innovation, compassionate care, and unwavering advocacy to improve the lives of those impacted by these life-changing conditions.
At the forefront of that effort is the Critical Path Institute (C-Path), and its flagship program tailored to advance treatments in AD, the Critical Path for Alzheimer’s Disease (CPAD) Consortium. CPAD represents a unique model of pre-competitive collaboration, uniting pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers, patient groups, regulators, and other stakeholders to address one of the greatest challenges in public health today: accelerating the development of safe and effective therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.
CPAD’s work is rooted in data-driven science and regulatory innovation. By advancing regulatory science tools like disease progression models, clinical trial simulators, and novel biomarkers, CPAD is helping to streamline, de-risk and accelerate the complex process of drug development for AD. These tools, many of which have received endorsement from regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, provide researchers with better ways to design trials, measure outcomes, and make data-informed decisions.
One of CPAD’s key achievements has been the development of quantitative drug development tools that enable more precise prediction of how Alzheimer’s progresses in individuals over time. These models are critical in understanding when and how to intervene with therapies, particularly in early stages of disease when symptoms may still be mild.
What sets CPAD apart is its commitment to collaborative, transparent science, due to its pre-competitive nature and C-Path’s status as the neutral convener. The consortium maintains one of the largest integrated databases of clinical trial and observational study data in Alzheimer’s disease — an unparalleled resource that fuels innovation across the research community.
As we mark Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, we are reminded that meaningful progress happens when we break down silos and unite around a shared mission. CPAD exemplifies the spirit of partnership and purpose, working not only to accelerate treatments but to bring hope to people living with diseases and caregivers around the world.
Together, we can change the trajectory of Alzheimer’s disease—and CPAD is leading the way.
