Public Health

The REAL AD study aims to validate the diagnostic and prognostic performance of combining blood-based biomarkers and remote cognitive testing as a screening approach for early Alzheimer's disease (AD), leveraging an existing healthcare infrastructure in Western Sweden. Here, we discuss strategies for recruiting a large and representative cohort, demographics and participant retention during the first study phase, and evaluate the process of implementing innovations enabling a fully remote study design.

In April 2024, a recruitment campaign was launched in collaboration with a PR company to recruit at least 3000 participants between 50-80 years from the general population. Through an online study platform, participants were enrolled and asked to answer health and lifestyle questionnaires (Step 1), guided to remotely administered cognitive testing (Step 2; using the neotivTrials app or Cognitron battery), and blood sampling at any of the 105 public regional primary care units (Step 3; Figure 1). Additionally, optional remote blood sampling complemented the primary study protocol.

At abstract submission, N = 6092 participants (mean age=63.9 years, 70% female) were enrolled over a nine-month period, with recruitment ongoing for another month (Table 1). Retention rates for initial study steps were N = 4785 participants at Step 1, N = 3860 at Step 2, and N = 2491 at Step 3. These rates align with or exceed findings from a cross-study evaluation of retention in remote digital health studies (Pratap et al., 2020). Innovations enabling a fully remote study design were critical in achieving these recruitment and retention rates. However, attrition highlights challenges in maintaining engagement in remote study designs. Key innovations will be evaluated, focusing on: (1) an online study platform with secure authentication, (2) remote cognitive testing, (3) blood sampling via local healthcare providers, and (4) remote sample collection, all achieved through collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Structured feedback reports from participants will complement evaluations.

REAL AD demonstrates the feasibility of implementing a large-scale, fully remote screening approach for early AD. Preliminary results highlight the effectiveness of key innovations and stakeholder collaboration, though attrition underlines the need to address engagement barriers. Future improvements and recommendations for other remote population-based screening initiatives will be discussed.