Researchers from the San Diego-based center are leading the next breakthroughs in a series of advancements since 2015 launch
Michele Clock
June 20, 2025
Within the next 10 years, advances in Alzheimer’s disease research will make screening and preventive care routine, according to top researchers from the University of Southern California. Blood tests will detect the disease in its earliest stages, and new treatments will stop symptoms years before cognitive decline can begin. USC’s San Diego-based Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute (ATRI) has been leading the way towards these breakthroughs since its launch in 2015, making such bold future predictions possible.
This month, the center is celebrating its contributions to Alzheimer’s disease research and looking ahead to the future as part of its 10-year anniversary. ATRI is part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. It is also home to the National Institutes of Health-funded Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC), which brings together researchers across the country to achieve a common goal: developing Alzheimer’s disease therapies. Thanks to these partnerships, a disease once deemed untreatable is now at the forefront of one of the most promising frontiers in medical science.
“This is a pivotal moment. We’re now on a course towards prevention, with better trials for even better treatments. Everything has changed.”
- Paul Aisen, M.D., founding director of ATRI, and a leading global figure in Alzheimer’s disease research.
From an innovation campus in San Diego’s Sorrento Valley, ATRI researchers have been quietly leading transformative global advancements in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia. Among the successes achieved over the past decade are the FDA approval of blood tests that measure and diagnose Alzheimer’s, as well as the FDA approval of two disease-slowing treatments. Hundreds of faculty members, researchers, and staff at ATRI are guiding more than a dozen clinical trials around the world from the center’s headquarters, with plans to expand this work in the coming years.
The need is profound. Currently, Alzheimer’s disease affects about 7 million people in the United States, a figure that is anticipated to jump to 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Around the world, a staggering 153 million are expected to be diagnosed with the disease by 2050. In San Diego County, more than 84,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia, which is also predicted to rise dramatically in the coming years. According to Alzheimer’s San Diego, nearly two-thirds of those affected are women.
ATRI had a role in developing the FDA-approved treatments such as Lequembi (lecanamab), which has been shown to slow the progression by 30 percent in patients with mild cognitive impairment. It does so by removing amyloid plaque buildup from the brain in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Even this can lead to a substantial improvement in quality of life. Researchers will continue to work to enhance the effectiveness of disease-slowing agents over the next decade.
“Ultimately, we will remove this as one of the worst health problems worldwide,” Aisen said.
ATRI is celebrating its milestone anniversary by hosting, sponsoring, and collaborating on special events throughout the year here in San Diego. On June 14, ATRI held events recognizing faculty and staff. ATRI also honored USC alumna Lisa Troy Malec, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. After an initial sense of discouragement over her condition, she now feels fortunate to be receiving treatment. She would never have known about the treatment were it not for her volunteer work with USC and the fact that ATRI is also located in San Diego.
“The biggest word that I can use right now is the word hope. I just feel very, very lucky, and I don't want to go back to that dark place.”
- Lisa Troy Malec, Guest of Honor at ATRI's Ten-Year Anniversary Celebration
ATRI is known for close collaboration and data sharing with other researchers, clinical trial participants, nonprofits, and academic institutions. The idea is that by cooperating, advancements can be reached more quickly, benefiting everyone. In a sign of the strength of these vital relationships, key partners have been in San Diego this month to celebrate ATRI’s milestone anniversary.
Michael Weiner, M.D., the principal investigator with the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, is among those collaborators marking ATRI’s milestone. The initiative Weiner leads is the largest Alzheimer’s-related observational study in the world.
”Congratulations to USC, Paul Aisen, and the entire ATRI team on their 10th anniversary. They are the leaders in clinical trials aimed at the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Weiner.
One of those partners who traveled the farthest was Takeshi Iwatsubo, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, project professor of the University of Tokyo, and chairman of the Japan Society for Dementia Research.
“The ATRI researchers have allowed me to work as the principal investigator of the Japanese AD Neuroimaging Initiative (J-ADNI) and the Japanese Trial-Ready Cohort for Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (J-TRC). Without their dedicated help, Alzheimer's research in Japan would not have advanced to this point."
- Takeshi Iwatsubo, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, project professor of the University of Tokyo, and chairman of the Japan Society for Dementia Research.
San Diego’s role in the Alzheimer’s research timeline has been profound.
Milestones led by ATRI over the past decade include:
- 2015 - ATRI is founded by Paul Aisen, M.D., and a group of about 30 faculty and staff.
- 2016 - A team of investigators from USC’s ATRI, as well as Harvard University and Mayo Clinic, are selected by the National Institute on Aging to co-lead the new Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium. This network focuses on accelerating and expanding clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
- 2020 – ATRI has formed major collaborations with the National Institutes of Health, and Alzheimer’s Association.
- 2021 – FDA approves Aduhelm (aducanumab), which ATRI faculty played a role in developing, as the first drug shown to remove amyloid beta plaques from the brain. Aduhelm is the first new treatment for Alzheimer’s approved since 2003.
- 2022 – FDA approves Leqembi (lecanemab) for treatment, representing the first full approval for an Alzheimer’s disease-modifying therapy. ATRI and Eisai, the drug’s manufacturer, partner to study the impact of treating asymptomatic people with brain amyloid to determine whether dementia can be prevented from occurring in Alzheimer's disease.
- 2022 – USC and the University of California San Diego come together as part of the Epstein Family Alzheimer’s Research Collaboration to discover effective therapies.
- 2023 – Research shows that the drug Kisunla (donanemab) is significantly slowing cognitive and functional decline in a phase 3 study of early Alzheimer’s disease. ATRI and Lilly, the drug’s manufacturer, partner to develop treatment trials for persons with Down Syndrome.
- 2024 - ATRI expands its scope under new Director of ATRI Biomarker Laboratory and Biorepository Robert Rissman, MD. Rissman launches the Neuroscience Translational Research Division, which will include basic science translational research in models of disease that can serve as preclinical work for future advancements.
Get Involved. Through ATRI and its network of partners, individuals have a unique opportunity to actively contribute to the progress by joining research studies and clinical trials. Participants can play a vital role in advancing scientific discoveries, shaping better treatments, and ultimately helping to bring hope to millions of people affected by the disease. ATRI is especially seeking participants between the ages of 50 and 60 to turn these bold scientific goals into reality. A 2018 initiative called the APT Webstudy monitors for changes in memory among those 50 years old and above. Led by ATRI, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cleveland Clinic, the study now has over 60,000 participants and continues to grow.
For more information, visit ATRI’s website. To join the Alzheimer’s Awareness Campaign, visit Alz10.com.