— Dr. Murali Krishna, Adjunct faculty at JSS Medical College and JSS Academy
The DAC Global Cohort Development (GCD) platform will help drive scientific discovery by providing researchers access to an extensive, truly international platform populated with brain related health data from broad and diverse populations. It will support AI and machine learning with organized and aggregated data collected from digital devices through research labs, hospitals and even people’s own smartphones. This data resource will help determine the causes, predispositions, and habits for people who develop Alzheimer’s Disease. It may also inform drug discovery and clinical care at a more rapid pace.
MUDHRA is a well-established population-based cohort that was set up in 2006 with participants drawn from rural areas of the Mysore district in South India to examine the burden of lung disorders and its impact on physical and mental health, and quality of life. This cohort was set up by Professor Mahesh PA, Department of Pulmonology at JSS Medical College, Mysore. The members of the cohort have been examined for chronic bronchitis, COPD, depression, and vitamin-D deficiency. At present they are undergoing repeat assessments for lung function, exposure to environmental pollutants and cognitive function.
“When we began this work our focus was looking at data between exposure to biomass fuel smoke and diagnosis of chronic bronchitis and COPD, said Dr. Murali Krishna, Foundation for Research and Advocacy in Mental Health, Mysuru, India and adjunct faculty at Department of Psychiatry, JSS Medical College and Hospital and JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, India. “We now have a rich repository of historical data providing a view into the health of Indians from living in rural areas.
“Collaboration and inclusion are essential elements for defeating Alzheimer’s Disease,” said Dr. Rhoda Au, Director of the Global Cohort Development at DAC. “Working in silos with limited representation of participants from across the world is not producing results, either comprehensively enough or fast enough. Past studies have skewed results because of the exclusion of low- and middle- income resourced areas and/or countries. We believe the important work and scientific data from Mysuru Studies of Determinants of Health in Rural Adults will further advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Participation
The Global Cohort Development combines the best of science – collaboration, creative thinking, and discovery. Other interested researchers with cohorts that share these objectives are encouraged to apply. Because of the synergistic nature of this work, cohorts with limited resources are put on similar footing with the large research organizations. Supporters are finding this program a cost-effective way to influence the big, new ideas necessary to stem the tide of AD.
About the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative
Initiated in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in 2020, The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative is a public-private partnership committed to aligning stakeholders with a new vision for our collective global response against the challenges Alzheimer’s presents to patients, caregivers, and healthcare infrastructures. Led by The World Economic Forum (WEF) and The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease (CEOi) and fueled by a mission of service to the 150 million families and half a billion people inevitably impacted by this disease by 2050, DAC is a collaborative for the benefit of all people, in all places.
Pat Arcand
Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative GCD
+1 617-251-7778
parcand@davosalzheimerscollaborative.org