New research projects aim to improve safety and support in Alzheimer’s antibody treatment
Bonn (Germany), September 30, 2026. Lecanemab and donanemab are disease-modifying antibody treatments approved in Germany for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment involves regular intravenous infusions and close medical monitoring, including repeated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. One particular challenge is the potential occurrence of “amyloid-related imaging abnormalities” (ARIAs), which can appear as swelling or bleeding in the brain and, in some cases, cause serious symptoms. Two new research projects funded by the Herbert Worch Foundation address key challenges associated with these treatments: How can patients and their families be better supported throughout therapy? And can ARIAs be predicted, detected and monitored at an early stage using blood samples?
Structured support during antibody treatment
One project will investigate how Dementia Care Management, a care concept developed at DZNE, can be adapted to the specific requirements of antibody treatment. The Herbert Worch Foundation is providing around €550,000 for this research.
Dementia Care Management is a cross-sector care approach in which specially trained nursing professionals assess medical, nursing, psychosocial and organizational needs, coordinate support services and assist people with dementia and their families. For antibody treatment, the concept will be expanded to include the coordination of infusion and MRI appointments, recognition of possible side effects, support with treatment decisions and measures to promote continuity of care.
“Antibody treatment places considerable medical, organizational and psychosocial demands on patients and their families,” says Prof. Wolfgang Hoffmann, speaker for DZNE’s Rostock/Greifswald site. “We are investigating whether structured Dementia Care Management can support patients in continuing treatment, improve their quality of life and provide tangible relief for everyone involved in everyday life.”
The study will include 300 people with Alzheimer’s disease recruited at three specialized memory clinics in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Half will receive antibody treatment combined with Dementia Care Management, while the other half will receive standard care without this additional support. The researchers will assess, among other factors, continuity of treatment, treatment satisfaction, quality of life, everyday functioning and cost-effectiveness. The project is scheduled to run for eight years.
Blood biomarker for early detection of side effects
A second project, funded with around €520,000, aims to develop a blood-based biomarker for ARIAs. The goal is to detect indications of these side effects before or as they occur and to monitor their development during treatment.
The DZNE team led by Gabor Petzold and Anja Schneider is focusing on extracellular vesicles – tiny lipid particles released by cells. The researchers are developing a method to isolate vesicles originating from blood vessel cells in the brain and to analyze forms of amyloid-beta contained in these particles.
The method will initially be developed using blood samples from people with cerebral amyloid angiopathy and healthy controls. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy, in which amyloid protein accumulates in blood vessels in the brain, serves as a model for processes that also play a role in Alzheimer’s disease and ARIAs.
“Our aim is to develop a blood biomarker that detects ARIAs as early and reliably as possible,” says Prof. Gabor Petzold, Director of Clinical Research at DZNE. “Such a method could usefully complement close monitoring with MRI and provide important insights for safe, individually tailored antibody treatment.”
In a second stage, the researchers will extend their analyses to people receiving antibody treatment at specialized university outpatient clinics. Data from a total of 500 patients are to be evaluated over a period of five years.
Long-standing partnership in clinical research
The new funding continues the long-standing partnership between the Herbert Worch Foundation, DZNE and the DZNE Foundation. From 2019 to 2025, the Herbert Worch Foundation already supported the development of Dementia Care Management at the DZNE site Rostock/Greifswald with around €520,000. The care concept developed and scientifically evaluated there now forms the basis for one of the newly funded projects.
“The new funding builds directly on our long-standing commitment to clinical ageing research and Dementia Care Management,” says Eduard Thometzek, board member of the Herbert Worch Foundation and a member of the Council of the DZNE Foundation since its establishment in 2017. “The project combines innovative treatment options with concrete questions of patient safety and the organization of care. This is precisely where we want to work with DZNE to make a contribution for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.”
About Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen, DZNE (German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases): DZNE is among the world’s leading research centers dedicated to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. These conditions are linked to dementia, movement disorders, and other severe health impairments. They place an enormous burden on patients and their families, as well as on society and the health care system. DZNE plays a key role in developing novel strategies for prevention, diagnosis, care, and treatment – and in bringing them into practice. With ten sites across Germany, it collaborates closely with universities, university hospitals, and other research institutions both in Germany and internationally. DZNE is publicly funded and is a member of the Helmholtz Association and the German Centers for Health Research.
About the Herbert Worch Foundation: Herbert Worch founded the Deutsche Herold Insurance Group. In his memory, his family established the Herbert Worch Foundation in 1997, a foundation dedicated exclusively to charitable purposes and the promotion of medical research. In its first years, the foundation supported the translation of medical research findings into practical applications. Among other initiatives, this included international online platforms for networking research, development, and funding, as well as the “Herbert Worch Innovation Prize in Medicine,” which was awarded until 2012. Since 2013, the foundation has exclusively funded applied clinical research projects in geriatric medicine that are carried out in collaboration with institutions and hospitals in Bonn.