Alzheimer’s Association Launches New Open-Access Journal

The existence of specific and reliable biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease are crucial to identifying individuals to enroll in clinical trials so that drugs can be tested and diseases can be detected as soon as possible. Facilitating clinical trial enrollment allows studies that are researching and developing therapies that stop or slow Alzheimer’s disease progression to be completed and delivered as quickly as possible.

The Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association have recently introduced a new open access journal to acknowledge the relevance of biomarkers in order to advance investigation in Alzheimer’s disease. The new journal will serve as an active channel specialized in sharing scientific discoveries.

“Due to an increasing number of submissions, Alzheimer’s & Dementia is unable to publish all the potentially impactful reports submitted for consideration. Creating these new open access journals under the Alzheimer’s & Dementia umbrella creates opportunities for valuable research to be published, especially in key, catalytic areas of the field, such as diagnosis and assessment,” explained Zaven S. Khachaturian, the Alzheimer’s & Dementia editor-in-chief.

Alzheimer’s & Dementia: DADM will be focused on novel research that reports discoveries, development, validation of assays, technologies, instruments and algorithmic approaches that might lead to accurate identification of individuals who are at risk for progressive diseases of dementia, including early and precise detection of asymptomatic people with memory complaints and at high risk of several memory disorders.

According to Peter J. Snyder, who is the chief research officer and senior vice president of Lifespan and editor-in-chief of Alzheimer’s & Dementia: DADM: “Alzheimer’s & Dementia: DADM will drive scientific advances by creating linkages between the discovery and validation of novel biomarkers. The journal will also report on the application of biomarkers to more sensitively and reliably diagnose disease, assess disease severity and monitor progression both in the clinic and within the context of clinical trials. We will also publish comprehensive literature reviews that serve to expand the state of knowledge, occasional editorials, and perspectives.”

“In addition, the online format is intended to challenge editors, reviewers, authors and readers to consider the methods and technologies as a pathway to inform deeper understanding of the disease and its natural history,” explained Snyder.

Further, this new journal aims to foster better coordination of Alzheimer’s disease and its research funding.

Published by Elsevier, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: DADM is an online journal and offers an open access format to allow faster publication and articles can be accessed without subscription so they can be easily used for researchers. The costs associated with publication are covered by the author and its institution.

“Launching an online-only, open access companion journal is a strategic decision by the Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association to ensure more research that has the potential to advance the field is published more quickly,” said Maria Carrillo, Ph.D., chief science officer for the Alzheimer’s Association. “This effort reflects the Alzheimer’s Association’s ongoing commitment to developing the robust research infrastructure needed to develop effective treatments and preventions that are desperately needed for Alzheimer’s and dementia.”