The Stead Impact Ventures team attended the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025, the world’s largest event for Alzheimer’s and related disease science. Dana Larson, Chief Marketing Officer, and Aidan Thompson, Chief Commercialization Officer, were on-site to engage with researchers, partners, and portfolio companies, deepen our collaborative relationships, and track emerging science that aligns with our mission.
Key Takeaways from AAIC 2025
Lifestyle and Prevention: U.S. POINTER Results
The landmark U.S. POINTER trial confirmed that structured, multidomain lifestyle interventions—including fitness, nutrition, cognitive engagement, and health monitoring—significantly improve cognition in at-risk older adults, outperforming self-guided efforts. The effects held strong across sex, ethnicity, genetic risk (APOE4), and heart health status. Note: The study underscores the critical role of wellness programs like Sensable Health.
Looking ahead, data on GLP-1 therapies for Alzheimer’s prevention are expected at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference in Madrid this November. This readout could reshape the prevention landscape and is an important signal we are closely tracking.
Blood-Based Biomarker Guidelines
AAIC also unveiled the first-ever clinical practice guidelines for using blood-based biomarkers in Alzheimer’s diagnosis. These evidence-driven, brand-agnostic recommendations guide specialists in utilizing these tests—especially those with ≥90% sensitivity and ≥75% specificity—as diagnostic triage tools and consider them potentially substitutive for PET or CSF in some cases. Note: The guidelines will enable specialists to utilize ALZpath’s pTau217-powered assays for early Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
ALZpath
Our portfolio company ALZpath demonstrated significant momentum at AAIC. Its proprietary pTau217 antibody was featured in 7 presentations and 30 posters, showcasing strong validation in blood-based Alzheimer’s pathology detection. These appearances build on a foundation of 90 publications across 18 countries, demonstrating that it is the leading pTau217 antibody on the market.
Spinogenix
Spinogenix announced key findings from its Phase 2a study on SPG302, a first-in-class synaptic regenerative therapy designed to restore memory and cognition in Alzheimer’s disease. The data showed rapid improvement in cognition and favorable safety profile with no treatment-related adverse events. These findings support Spinogenix’s novel approach, which appears to improve cognitive function, rather than just slow decline – and furthers the vision to give patients back their lives, allowing them to realize meaningful improvements in independence and enjoy activities they used to do. This is an exciting step forward for the company, which has also completed SPG302 Phase 2 trial for ALS and is enrolling its Phase 2 trial in schizophrenia.
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute
Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, one of our nonprofit partners, maintained a strong scientific presence at AAIC, participating in 15 research sessions and contributing to the discourse on early detection, clinical research pathways, and community outreach. Featured was Banner’s Fluid Biomarker Program led by senior director Nicholas Ashton, PhD, which was highlighted in oral presentations, session chairs, posters, symposiums, and workshops.
Overall, AAIC 2025 reinforced both the scale of the Alzheimer’s disease challenge and the opportunity for our portfolio to lead pivotal change in detection, prevention, and treatment.