Why we believe someone alive today could be the first person cured of Alzheimer’s.

When I speak to people affected by dementia, I’m often asked the same question: will we ever find a cure? 

For a long time, that felt like an impossible question to answer. Dementia research was uncovering important clues about how diseases like Alzheimer’s affect the brain, but we had no treatments that could change the course of the disease itself. 

Today, the picture looks very different. 

That’s why I’m confident saying that somewhere, someone alive today could become the first person cured of Alzheimer’s disease. 

And that is why we exist. 

What do we mean by a cure? 

When many people think of a cure, they imagine someone already living with symptoms being made completely better overnight. 

The reality is likely to be different. 

The hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease begin many years before memory problems or confusion appear. Changes are silently taking place in the brain sometimes up to 15 years before a diagnosis. A cure could mean identifying those changes incredibly early and intervening before the disease has the chance to cause lasting damage. 

In the future, someone could have a test that detects the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease and receive treatments that stop it progressing any further. The disease would never have the opportunity to affect their daily life. 

That is what we mean when we say someone alive today could be cured of Alzheimer’s disease. 

We don’t know exactly who that person will be, where they live, or how old they are today. But the scientific progress we’re seeing gives us genuine reason to believe it can happen. 

Why are we confident? 

Quite simply, because research is moving us towards a cure faster. 

The first medicines that target the underlying biology of Alzheimer’s disease now exist. Drugs such as lecanemab and donanemab have shown that it is possible to slow the progression of the disease in people with early-stage Alzheimer’s. While these treatments are not cures, they represent a historic breakthrough. They prove that dementia is treatable. 

At the same time, our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease has expanded dramatically. We know far more about the complex biologydriving the disease than ever before, giving researchers a clearer blueprint for developing effective treatments. 

We’re also making huge strides in diagnosis. By 2030, we expect blood tests to help support faster, more accurate diagnosis for people already experiencing symptoms.   

Looking further ahead, emerging technologies could identify risk and detect disease before symptoms appear, opening the door to much earlier intervention. 

Drug development is accelerating too. A record number of Alzheimer’s treatments are currently being tested in clinical trials, exploring different ways to prevent, slow and ultimately stop disease processes in the brain.  

Researchers are already trailling whether intervening earlier, before symptoms appear, could help delay or even prevent Alzheimer’s. This is now possible because of the hard won progress that’s been made and it give us confidence that we can build on that progress to get to a cure faster. 

When you bring together earlier detection, better prevention and more effective treatments, a pathway to a cure emerges. 

What about other forms of dementia? 

While we’re talking specifically about Alzheimer’s disease, we’re not forgetting the millions of people affected by other forms of dementia. 

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia and we’re now seeing real momentum in research, with the first treatments that can slow the disease showing us that changing its course is possible. That gives us confidence that we can build towards treatments that prevent, slow and ultimately stop Alzheimer’s. 

But our ambition doesn’t stop there. We want to see a cure for every form of dementia. Progress in Alzheimer’s research — from understanding the biology of disease to developing new ways to diagnose and treat it — can also help accelerate progress for people living with vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and other forms of dementia. 

What does this mean for people affected by dementia? 

Most importantly, it means progress is happening faster. 

For too long, a dementia diagnosis has felt like being told that nothing can be done. Research is changing that story. 

The future won’t arrive all at once. It will come through a series of breakthroughs: better tests, more treatment options, ways to reduce risk, and eventually interventions capable of stopping Alzheimer’s disease before it causes harm. 

Every major advance means more time, more independence and more precious moments for people and families affected by dementia. 

For the first time, we can see a future where dementia is not simply something we have to accept. We can see a future where it can be detected earlier, treated more effectively and, ultimately, prevented altogether. 

What can you do to help?  

Every discovery begins with research. 

The progress we’re seeing today is the result of decades of investment by people who refused to accept dementia as inevitable. Our supporters have helped build the knowledge, tools and talent that are transforming what’s possible. 

But we’re not finished yet. 

With continued support, we can speed up the development of new treatments, improve diagnosis, back the brightest scientists and bring clinical trials closer to the people who need them. 

A cure for Alzheimer’s disease is no longer an impossible idea. It’s a scientific goal that is moving closer every year. 

We’ll continue driving research into every form of dementia, building on each development until we can prevent, diagnose, treat and ultimately stop these diseases. 

Somewhere, someone alive today could be the first person cured of Alzheimer’s disease. With your support, we can help make that moment arrive sooner. 

Because our vision isn’t just a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a world free from dementia.