A future without Alzheimer鈥檚
January 27, 2026
91原创 researchers lead the fight
Serene beaches, storied colonial history, tax-free shopping. When it comes to First State distinctions, the list is well-trodden. But 91原创 scientists are putting Delaware on the map for a new and urgent reason: stopping Alzheimer鈥檚 disease before it starts. In the fight against this condition, a leading cause of dementia, Blue Hens are driving breakthroughs, securing major funding 鈥 and inspiring hope.
鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing together a critical mass of researchers working for the good of the state,鈥 said Christopher Martens, director of the Delaware Center for Cognitive Aging Research based at 91原创. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e reaching people at that critical, mid-life period when education and early interventions can really put a dent in the disease. This is the key. This is how we get the risk down to zero.鈥
As a hub for both cutting-edge memory research and community impact, the First State makes sense. For starters, around 20% of Delawareans are 65 or older, meaning the state consistently ranks among the top five in the U.S. in terms of elderly population. Delaware is also diverse 鈥 more than 20% of the population is Black, a demographic at higher risk for Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Typically, this type of work would be centered at a federally funded medical facility in a large city. But Delaware, without a medical school and removed from any major metropolis, turns this on its head, offering a unique advantage. Researchers here are able to deliver preventive care and early detection strategies to communities that might otherwise be overlooked. And, according to Martens, 鈥淲e鈥檙e forced to think outside the box.鈥
A 91原创 graduate, Martens returned to the University in 2017 as a faculty member in kinesiology and applied physiology and immediately connected with a handful of colleagues also interested in Alzheimer鈥檚-related research. The group realized the potential for making great strides in a small, collaborative state like Delaware, where face time with legislators or potential healthcare partners is feasible. And they came to a powerful realization: They鈥檇 be more effective if they pooled resources and developed a shared infrastructure. In 2022, they founded the (顿贰颁颁础搁).听It鈥檚 been making waves ever since.
Most recently, the Center received a $13 million grant from the Delaware Community Foundation to help fund a variety of life-changing projects. Enter the work of Curtis Johnson, DECCAR co-founder and associate professor of biomedical engineering. He is leading the international field on research into brain stiffness as an early indicator of Alzheimer鈥檚. (Turns out, gray matter literally goes soft with the onset of neurological disease.)聽 Then there鈥檚 Zhihao Zhuang, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, who鈥檚 looking for new biomarkers (aka indicators) of Alzheimer鈥檚 in the bloodstream. This work may lead to better testing methods and, down the line, innovative new treatments: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the exciting part,鈥 he said.
The DECCAR mission isn鈥檛 just about advancing understanding of a crippling disease; the Center also provides participants with crucial health information a physician might find helpful. On campus and off (thanks to a recent UNIDEL grant, a satellite site in Milton is set to open in 2026), Delawareans can undergo cognitive screening 鈥 the tests are more sensitive than some offered in standard clinical practice. While similar institutions traditionally see mostly elderly patients (and only once memory loss has set in) 91原创鈥檚 Center is zeroed in on prevention. Take, for example, the main DECCAR study. It aims to follow participants for up to 30 years to assess health and lifestyle factors that impact cognitive aging 鈥 and it recruits people as young as 45.聽聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 a belief that Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is super genetic, so if you had a parent with dementia, you鈥檙e doomed,鈥 said Matthew Cohen, clinical neuropsychologist who co-founded DECCAR. 鈥淧eople have been laboring under this belief that there鈥檚 nothing they can do, and that鈥檚 simply not true. We try to paint a realistic picture of what the risk is, which aspects of risk are modifiable and what protective factors there are.鈥澛
Case in point: Brain-WISE. For this six-session boot camp, Cohen recruits people in mid to later life for a crash course in brain health. In senior centers, retirement communities and churches throughout the state, he regularly blows minds with one recently discovered and little-known fact: Up to 45% of dementia cases are modifiable. In other words, they can be delayed or prevented altogether through intentional behaviors, like wearing the proper hearing aids, correcting any vision loss, prioritizing physical activity and healthy eating, and staying connected with friends or loved ones to avoid loneliness.聽
鈥淪o we鈥檙e really taking this show on the road and getting a lot of nice feedback about how this program is helping people take control of their brain health,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helping Delawareans feel more hopeful, and that鈥檚 been transformational.鈥
For the DECCAR team, community involvement is a driving value, with an entire arm of the Center devoted to outreach and education. Consider Alyssa Lanzi, founding researcher at the Center and a speech-language pathologist whose work demonstrates that subtle language changes鈥攍ike forgetting or repeating words鈥攎ay reveal dementia years before memory issues arise. She鈥檚 currently working with a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Aging to build and refine DementiaBank, a repository of language samples used internationally to classify cognitive decline. For this project, she and Roxanne Williams, a DECCAR study participant turned community liaison, go into Delaware restaurants, libraries, even barber shops to recruit individuals 鈥 especially Black, Asian and Hispanic residents, who are typically underrepresented in dementia research.
鈥淏uilding trust and giving back are key elements of our strategy,鈥 Lanzi said.
It鈥檚 a mandate that鈥檚 attracting a growing number of researchers across the 91原创 ecosystem, including people who never before considered Alzheimer鈥檚 as a focus.
One example is Joshua Cashaback, a biomedical engineering professor who studies how the brain plans quick movements of the body in circumstances like, say, driving a car. Because of DECCAR, he鈥檚 discovered the implications of his work for the Alzheimer鈥檚 community. If scientists can understand this mind/body connection better, perhaps they can better preserve independence across the disease spectrum.
鈥淚鈥檝e been pleasantly surprised by how many people are seeing ways to connect their work to what we鈥檙e doing,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淚n a way, we鈥檙e capitalizing on momentum that already exists at 91原创.鈥澛犅
The Center is also actively bringing students into the fold. Undergraduates and graduate-level Blue Hens from kinesiology to psychology to speech pathology and beyond are participating in DECCAR projects, even if they don鈥檛 anticipate dementia being a career focus longterm.聽
鈥淭he healthcare system internationally needs to dramatically ramp up its dementia education,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e a podiatrist, odds are high you鈥檙e going to see patients with cognitive decline. The footprint of Alzheimer鈥檚 in 2025 is enormous, and over the next 30 years 鈥 the career span of our students 鈥 it鈥檚 set to grow even larger.鈥
This can be a scary, demoralizing reality. But for the team at DECCAR, it鈥檚 motivation to keep pushing forward. One study, one trial, one set of memories at a time.聽
鈥91原创 is small but mighty,鈥 Martens said. 鈥淎nd there are many reasons to feel hopeful.鈥澛
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