Siemens Healthineers co-leads EU Alzheimer’s disease care initiative
Siemens Healthineers is co-leading a major European Union research initiative dedicated to improving the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease. The project, ACCESS-AD, unites more than 30 European partners from hospitals, universities, patient organisations and wider industry, representing expertise in neurology, imaging, data science and patient advocacy.
While treatment has traditionally focused on symptoms, new disease-modifying therapies have been available in the EU since last year. However, Siemens states, many national health systems are constrained by diagnostic bottlenecks and limited capacity, already unable to keep up with demand for tests, imaging and specialised follow-up care. In some countries, it is said that waiting times for these services could stretch to years unless innovations are introduced. ACCESS-AD responds to this need and accompanies the patient from diagnosis and therapy decisions to treatment and ongoing monitoring, considering insights from related initiatives.
The initiative aims to enhance care by standardising procedures, integrating state-of-the-art industry solutions and leveraging AI for advanced disease management. This includes analysing medical scans, blood tests and digital health data, helping predict treatment responses and identifying patients at higher risk of complications. In addition, the project team will collect real-world data from more than 500 patients across Europe and is running a pilot study to test combinations of drug therapies and lifestyle interventions for Alzheimer’s care.
Siemens Healthineers also aims to lower technical, operational and financial barriers that limit access to high quality brain imaging in Europe, for example, by leading the development and clinical implementation of advanced MRI and PETCT imaging solutions even beyond specialist centres. In the field of MRI, this could include compact, helium-free DryCool magnet technologies, AI-empowered workflows and image reconstruction as well as accelerated brain imaging protocols for significantly shortened scan times.
“The ACCESS-AD initiative highlights our growing focus on disease management and our dedication to improving health outcomes,” said Siemens Healthineers Great Britain and Ireland head of diagnostic imaging Graham Plant. “By making advanced neuroimaging more accessible, we aim to streamline imaging workflows for Alzheimer’s diagnostics and monitoring.”
Picture: Analysis of medical scans is just one area in which Siemens Healthineers will contribute to the ACCESS-AD research initiative for Alzheimer’s disease.
Published on page 4 of the March 2026 issue of RAD Magazine.
