HUB Alzheimer Barcelona, a collaborative research initiative on Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases that seeks to consolidate Barcelona as an international benchmark in this field, was established today.

With the support of the City Council, the HUB Alzheimer Barcelona unites the efforts of the four major public hospitals in the city: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Hospital de Mar and Hospital Vall d’Hebron. It also includes two private research institutions specialized in this disease: the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC) of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation and the Ace Alzheimer Center Barcelona.

The presentation ceremony of the new hub was inaugurated by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, who emphasized that “Barcelona is committed to actively contributing to the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. This is a city issue, and that is why, with the impetus of the Barcelona City Council, the city’s main institutes and research centers on the disease, which are global benchmarks, are joining forces to collaborate, pooling talent and resources”. And he added, regarding the collaborative commitment that this project implies: “Today we are sending a message of unity in favor of science. I am sure that this joint effort in Barcelona will lead to promising discoveries that will bring us closer to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease”.

Representatives of the different participating organizations and institutions, including the project leader Pasqual Maragall Foundation, as well as the Conselleria de Salut, have made clear the objective of the new hub to promote scientific excellence, attract investment, facilitate the transfer of research to clinical practice and promote training in Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases. A collaborative commitment to transform the future of research and support for people and families affected by this disease.

In this regard, the director of the Pasqual Maragall Foundation Arcadi Navarro has stressed the magnitude of the challenge due to the global impact of dementias, with millions of people affected, almost a million of them in Spain, and a growing prevalence due to population aging. Regarding the role that Barcelona and its scientific and biomedical ecosystem will have to play, he said that “in this scenario and taking advantage of the paradigm shift in the approach to Alzheimer’s disease thanks to recent scientific advances, Barcelona has to take a step forward by making use of its scientific leadership”.

Among the new activities to be carried out within the framework of the HUB, the first call for collaborative pre-doctoral fellowships aimed at fostering interdisciplinary research among HUB member centers is planned. Future training activities have also been announced to improve the diagnosis and management of the disease in Primary Care, developed in collaboration with the Catalan Society of Family and Community Medicine (CAMFiC).

Alzheimer’s disease in figures: a growing challenge with increasing life expectancy

Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases currently affect an estimated 900,000 people in Spain. This figure represents one in ten people over the age of 65 and one third of those over 85. These pathologies are one of the main causes of mortality, disability and dependence.

If no effective cure is found, and with the constant increase in life expectancy, the number of cases is expected to triple by 2050, exceeding 1.5 million people in Spain alone. This growth could jeopardize the sustainability of health and care systems.