The search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease is gaining momentum, with hundreds of clinical trials worldwide testing various treatments and approaches. According to the 2026 World Alzheimer Report, clinical trials are at the centre of efforts to understand the disease and determine which treatments can safely slow its progression or improve the lives of people living with Alzheimer’s. This comes as the number of people living with dementia worldwide continues to rise, with over 55 million people affected as of 2019, projected to surpass 139 million by 2050.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and researchers are increasingly focusing on detecting the disease earlier, including before people develop noticeable memory and thinking problems. This could allow treatments to begin at a stage when there may be greater potential to slow or prevent further damage. Clinical trials are critical to this process, enabling scientists to establish whether potential treatments are safe, effective, and make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives.
There are currently 158 potential therapies being evaluated across 192 clinical trials worldwide, with eight Phase III trials expected to report results during 2026. About three-quarters of the medicines in development aim to modify the underlying disease process, while others focus on improving memory, thinking, and daily functioning, or targeting symptoms such as agitation and anxiety. The approval of disease-modifying treatments lecanemab and donanemab in several countries has provided evidence that directly targeting the disease process can slow clinical decline by about 30 percent.
Professor Jeff Cummings of the University of Nevada notes that the development of lecanemab and donanemab is a significant milestone, despite questions about the size of the benefit. Professor Cath Mummery, director of the UK’s Dementia Trials Network, describes their development as a major breakthrough, but also a bittersweet moment, as the effect on patients was not as significant as hoped. Mummery emphasizes that the results represent an important foundation for future research, confirming the amyloid hypothesis and showing that it is possible to change the course of the disease.
Researchers are now exploring several biological pathways involved in Alzheimer’s disease, beyond amyloid. Blood-based biomarkers are emerging as potential tools for identifying people at risk much earlier. Research presented at the 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London found that elevated levels of p-tau217 in cognitively healthy older adults were associated with a substantially increased risk of developing cognitive impairment over the following decade.
The TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 3 study is among the trials examining whether treatment at the earliest biological stages of Alzheimer’s can alter the disease before symptoms develop. Researchers are also testing existing medicines for possible new uses, with over a third of dementia drugs currently in development originally developed for other conditions. Combination treatment is another area attracting attention, with researchers testing whether targeting different biological pathways simultaneously could provide greater benefits than using a single treatment.
As the number of people at risk of dementia rises rapidly with global ageing, the growing research effort represents a shift in how Alzheimer’s disease is understood. Rather than being viewed solely as an inevitable consequence of ageing, it is increasingly being seen as a target for intervention. Professor Cummings emphasizes that the current treatments should be viewed as a beginning rather than a final solution, with anti-amyloid medicines such as lecanemab and donanemab being a crucial breakthrough, but only the start of what people with Alzheimer’s will ultimately need.
Key points
- Clinical trials are driving the search for an Alzheimer’s cure, with hundreds of trials testing various treatments and approaches worldwide.
- Researchers are increasingly focusing on detecting Alzheimer’s disease earlier, including before people develop noticeable memory and thinking problems.
- The approval of disease-modifying treatments lecanemab and donanemab has provided evidence that directly targeting the disease process can slow clinical decline by about 30 percent.
