The 23andMe Research Institute has partnered with the Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI) to investigate whether digitally delivered lifestyle interventions can influence biological pathways associated with Alzheimer's disease. The collaboration will integrate genetic risk assessment, remote patient monitoring, and multiomics analysis into the Wellderly Brain Study, which focuses on Alzheimer's prevention and healthy ageing.
Building on SRTI's original Wellderly Study, which examined the genetic characteristics of healthy ageing, the new research will evaluate whether personalised lifestyle coaching can influence Alzheimer's-related biomarkers, particularly phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217), alongside measures of cognitive function and biological ageing.
The trial will enrol 1,200 adults aged 60 to 80 who have an elevated genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either 16 virtual lifestyle coaching sessions over 52 weeks or educational materials as a control intervention. The study will follow participants for approximately 14 to 16 months.
Researchers will use Oura Rings to monitor health indicators remotely, while blood and saliva samples will support assessments of disease biomarkers and biological ageing. Advanced multiomics techniques, including proteomics and organ-specific biological clocks, will help evaluate potential physiological changes associated with the interventions.
Jay Pandit, senior director of digital medicine at SRTI, explained that these technologies could improve researchers' understanding of "what happens before chronic disease shows up and how we can reverse it."
The collaboration will also leverage 23andMe's genetic database and digital research infrastructure to identify and notify potentially eligible participants. SRTI's decentralised, siteless study model will allow individuals to participate remotely, potentially reducing geographical barriers to recruitment.
Noura Abul-Husn, chief medical officer at the 23andMe Research Institute, said genetics-informed recruitment enables researchers to identify participants "with a level of precision and scale that has traditionally been difficult to achieve," supporting studies that are "more targeted, more efficient, and ultimately more informative."
The initiative builds on 23andMe's broader research activities, including its Lung Cancer Genetics Study, which aims to recruit 10,000 participants by 2027, and its collaboration with Lifebit and Troper Wojcicki Philanthropies to support access to de-identified research data.
The study will examine whether combining genetic insights, digital interventions, and longitudinal biomarker monitoring can inform future approaches to Alzheimer's disease prevention.
Click here for the original news story.
