Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial Recruitment Strategies

Alzheimer’s disease trials encounter substantial challenges in attracting and retaining participants, often resulting in delayed completion and limited generalisability of findings. Recruitment strategies have evolved to address barriers such as geographic dispersion, cognitive impairment, stringent inclusion criteria and under-representation of older or marginalised populations. Traditional site-based approaches are increasingly complemented by innovative models that harness digital platforms, predictive algorithms, risk-factor screening and internet-based registries. These methods aim to streamline prescreening, reduce travel burden, broaden demographic reach and engage primary care providers and caregivers. Effective recruitment now demands a multifaceted framework that integrates remote assessments, community outreach, culturally tailored engagement and data-driven selection tools. Globally, this shift promises to accelerate enrolment, diversify study cohorts and enhance the feasibility of prevention and early-stage intervention trials, ultimately improving the translatability of therapeutic advances.

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Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial Recruitment Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in alzheimer's disease clinical trial recruitment strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Decentralised clinical trial: A study design that uses digital tools and remote assessments to conduct visits outside traditional research sites, improving access and convenience.

Participant registry: An organised database of individuals who have expressed interest in research participation, facilitating targeted recruitment and referral to suitable studies.

Amyloid positivity: The presence of elevated amyloid-β deposits in the brain, detected through imaging or fluid biomarkers, indicating increased Alzheimer’s pathology risk.

Prescreening: The initial evaluation of potential participants using demographic, cognitive or genetic criteria to determine likelihood of meeting formal enrolment requirements.

References

1. Digital health technologies and Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials: might decentralized clinical trials increase participation by people with cognitive impairment?. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (2023).
2. Addressing the challenges to successful recruitment and retention in Alzheimer's disease clinical trials. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (2010).
3. The Alzheimer's Prevention Registry: A Large Internet-Based Participant Recruitment Registry to Accelerate Referrals to Alzheimer's-Focused Studies. The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease (2020).
4. Prescreening for European Prevention of Alzheimer Dementia (EPAD) trial-ready cohort: impact of AD risk factors and recruitment settings. Alzheimer's Research & Therapy (2020).