Some of Barcelona's leading institutions and organisations have come together today to set up the HUB Alzheimer Barcelona: a pioneering initiative born out of a collaborative commitment to transform the future of Alzheimer's research and support those who suffer from it and their family members.

This unique project is promoted by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, the founding centre, with the support of Barcelona City Council. It is also supported by the Hospital de Sant Pau, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Hospital del Mar and Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, and two leading institutions specialising in research into Alzheimer's disease: the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) and the Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona.

Vall d'Hebron University Hospital was represented at the event by Dr Albert Salazar, manager of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital; Dr Xavier Montalban, head of the Neurology Service, director of the Multiple Sclerosis Centre of Catalonia (Cemcat) and head of the Neuroimmunology Research Group at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR); and Dr Pilar Delgado, head of the Neurodegenerative Diseases Section and principal investigator of neurovascular diseases at VHIR.

The event was officially opened by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who stressed that “Barcelona has set out to make an active contribution in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. This is a city-wide issue, and that is why the City Council and the city's main Alzheimer's disease institutes and research centres, which are global benchmarks, are joining forces to work together and pool talent and resources. Today, we celebrate our shared commitment to making scientific progress in this area. I'm sure that promising discoveries will result from this Barcelona-based team that will help us find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.” The Barcelona City Council funds one-fifth of the project's total budget.

Dr Arcadi Navarro, director of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, underlined the scale of the challenge due to the impact that dementia is having around the world, with millions of people affected globally (and almost a million in Spain) and a rising prevalence due to population ageing. He stressed that “in light of this situation, and taking advantage of the paradigm shift in the approach to Alzheimer's disease thanks to recent scientific advances, Barcelona must leverage its position of scientific leadership. The creation of this HUB will foster scientific excellence, attract investment, improve the transfer of research into clinical practice and promote further training in Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases.”

During the presentation of the HUB Alzheimer Barcelona, several of its key achievements were highlighted. One was the first conference on ‘Challenges and opportunities in the implementation of biological therapies for Alzheimer's disease’, which also involved the Catalan Health Service. Several ongoing and upcoming activities were also mentioned, such as the first call for collaborative pre-doctoral grants to promote cooperative research among HUB member centres. A mention was also given to the various training actions that are currently being developed to improve the diagnosis and management of the disease in primary care settings, in collaboration with the CAMFiC (Catalan Society of Family and Community Medicine).

Dr Mercè Boada, founder and medical director of Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona and member of the HUB, said that “initiatives like these are essential to promote research and advance scientific knowledge. In particular, collaboration with CAMFiC is key to strengthening the role of primary care in the early diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease.” During the event, a document was signed by the highest representatives of the participating organisations, formalising the joint commitment to promote the HUB Alzheimer Barcelona. Olga Pané, the Catalan Minister of Health, delivered the closing remarks.

Alzheimer's in figures

It is currently estimated that Alzheimer's and neurodegenerative diseases affect 900,000 people in Spain. This translates into one in every ten people over the age of 65 and a third of those over the age of 85. These pathologies are one of the main causes of death, disability and dependence. With life expectancy increasing and an effective cure yet to be found, the number of cases could triple worldwide by 2050 (with more than one and a half million cases in Spain alone): figures which would threaten to overwhelm health and care systems around the world.