As a researcher and clinician with a focus on neurodegenerative disorders, the AD/PD conference is one I look forward to for its emphasis on discussion and collaboration. It is the first annual conference of the year that draws international scientists, physicians, and investigators to share advances in research and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Held in Copenhagen this year, from March 17 to 21, 2026, AD/PD 2026™ provided an opportunity to network across academia, clinical research sites, and industry. In a field with limited availability of effective and disease-modifying therapies, the chance to engage in conversations and explore the latest innovations, beyond only reporting topline results, helps foster new ideas and potential breakthroughs.
Progress in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's therapies
We've already seen significant advancements in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research, paving the way for new and innovative treatment strategies.
Following the FDA approval of two anti-amyloid therapies, lecanemab and donanemab, there has been a surge in second-generation anti-amyloid therapies (AATs). These next-generation therapies aim for improved safety profiles, more convenient delivery methods, and lower yet more effective dosing. There is also growing interest in exploring combination approaches involving AATs, particularly with small molecules and anti-tau therapies.
In Parkinson’s disease, I’ve observed a notable shift toward disease-modifying and regenerative therapies, moving away from purely symptomatic treatments. Similar to Alzheimer’s disease research, there has been an expansion in biomarker development and multi-omics approaches.
Beyond these broad trends, several specific themes stood out to me from this year’s conference. I think they could help reshape how we approach neurodegenerative disease research and treatment in the coming years.
Greater use of participant pathology profiles that enable precision therapies
Significant progress is being made in identifying specific participant pathology profiles, allowing for the potential of future precise therapy combinations tailored to individual disease mechanisms that could potentially alter disease progression before irreversible damage occurs. The conference highlighted how molecular profiling at population scale is transforming our ability to decode disease trajectories long before clinical symptoms emerge. By integrating longitudinal biomarkers with real-world data, researchers may be able to reconstruct continuous disease trajectories rather than relying on static case-control comparisons.
Shift toward multi-pathway therapies
In addition, the industry is increasingly moving toward innovative multi-pathway precision approaches that could help overcome some of the limitations of traditional amyloid-directed monotherapies. For example, presenters discussed therapeutic strategies that simultaneously inhibit the translation of multiple neurotoxic proteins, including amyloid beta, tau, alpha-synuclein, and TDP-43, rather than targeting a single pathological pathway. This multi-target approach reflects growing recognition that neurodegenerative diseases involve complex, interconnected pathological mechanisms that may require coordinated intervention across multiple pathways to achieve meaningful clinical benefit and improved participant outcomes.
Advancements in biomarkers and multi-omics
Substantial progress in biomarker identification and measurement capabilities as well as multi-omics technologies is improving our understanding of neurodegeneration and therapeutic monitoring. These tools will help guide potential targeted therapies, enable precise biomarker diagnosis, and facilitate clinical and biomarker staging. In addition, blood-based biomarkers could make confirmatory diagnosis and longitudinal tracking more cost-effective and accessible in routine care settings.
Notable advancements presented at the conference include correlations between plasma p-tau217 reductions and clinical stability and preservation of hippocampal volume in participants with Alzheimer’s disease receiving targeted therapies, even over multiple years of treatment. However, discussions also emphasized the need for careful interpretation of changes in standard amyloid- and tau-based biomarkers in the context of non-amyloid and non-tau-directed therapies, underscoring the importance of validating biomarker-clinical outcome relationships for novel therapeutic mechanisms.
Acceleration of tau and neuroinflammation research
The development of tau-directed therapies and neuroinflammation treatments is rapidly advancing, which is promising given the complexity of neurodegenerative conditions. There has been momentum around microglial activation, astrogliosis, and immunomodulation. Although early microglial responses can be protective, they become dysfunctional in later stages, when tau pathology or more complex neurodegenerative processes are present, and contribute to progression. Therefore, intervention timing is important, and biomarkers will be a key contributor to treatment decisions.
Among the emerging therapies, small-molecule TREM2 agonists are promising therapeutic approaches to address neuroinflammation and improve clearance of toxic aggregates. Additionally, reported results showed benefits from inhibitors targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome, a crucial driver of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
Innovative brain shuttle technology
Innovative brain shuttle or transporter technologies are being explored to enhance the delivery of central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics, potentially revolutionizing how drugs reach their targets in the brain. These delivery platforms are being applied across multiple therapeutic modalities, including both biologics and small molecules. These new technologies are addressing a long-standing challenge in CNS drug development where promising compounds often fail due to inadequate blood-brain barrier penetration. Conference presentations highlighted enhanced brain penetration strategies that could improve therapeutic exposure and efficacy while potentially reducing systemic dosing requirements.
Expansion of small molecule therapeutics
There is growing focus on small molecule therapeutics for both prevention and combination therapy. The versatility of small molecule platforms, combined with enhanced brain shuttle technologies for improved CNS penetration, positions them as attractive candidates for combination strategies with biologics or as monotherapies for earlier disease stages where convenient oral administration could facilitate long-term preventive approaches.
Conference presentations showcased diverse small molecule approaches targeting multiple pathological mechanisms beyond the mechanisms of TREM2 agonists and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors mentioned earlier. These oral treatments work upstream or downstream in the amyloid cascade by inhibiting the formation of neurotoxic soluble aggregates.
AI in drug discovery and clinical trial design
The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in drug discovery is accelerating target identification and validation, enabling researchers to analyze complex multi-omics datasets to identify novel therapeutic targets with greater speed and precision, ultimately reducing development timelines and participant risk. By enabling the identification of specific participant pathology profiles from integrated biomarker and clinical data, AI could also support precision therapies based on individual disease mechanisms.
Conference presentations demonstrated how AI and disease progression modeling are also transforming disease monitoring. For example, researchers introduced a "time gained" or "years of progression avoided" metric as an alternative to traditional point-change measures in the MDS-UPDRS for assessing changes or progression in Parkinson’s disease. This AI-enabled methodology addresses challenges in detecting disease-modifying effects where slow, variable progression and symptomatic therapies may mask treatment benefits, potentially reducing the need for trials with prohibitively long durations and large sample sizes.
A new era in neurodegeneration therapies
The innovations presented at AD/PD 2026 reflect how we're moving from single-targeted approaches to precision strategies that account for individual disease biology, from limited biomarker tools to comprehensive molecular profiling, and from symptom management to therapies designed to alter disease trajectories. The integration of AI, advanced delivery technologies, and multi-pathway interventions suggests we're entering a phase where neurodegenerative diseases may become more predictable, earlier to detect, and more effectively managed. Although significant challenges remain, continued progress over the next few years could mark a turning point where Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related conditions transition from devastating diagnoses to manageable chronic diseases with meaningful treatment options across the disease spectrum.
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About the Author
Dr. Linda Pao is a board-certified neurologist with over 25 years of experience in private practice, academic medicine, and clinical research in South Florida. She earned both her undergraduate and medical degrees from Brown University’s seven-year Medical Education Program, completed her neurology residency and EMG fellowship at New England Medical Center in Boston (serving as Chief Resident for two years), and completed a neuromuscular fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Dr. Pao has spent the past two decades specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Lewy body dementia. She previously founded the acute stroke program at Jupiter Medical Center and co-directed the MDA Clinic in West Palm Beach. She has served on hospital boards and medical committees across multiple institutions in South Florida.
Currently, Dr. Pao is the Medical Director and a Principal Investigator at JEM Research Institute, where she leads numerous clinical trials as Principal Investigator. A strong advocate for participant education and diversity in research, she is a frequent speaker in the community and media, with a particular interest in the prevention of neurodegenerative conditions.