In the Interim...

Prof Craig Ritchie: Looking Back at EPAD, moving forward in Alzheimer's Disease


Listen Later

Scott Berry, Founder of Berry Consultants, interviews Professor Craig Ritchie—specialist in brain health and neurodegenerative diseases, Chief Investigator of EPAD (European Prevention of Alzheimer Dementia), and CEO of Scottish Brain Sciences—for a broad discussion of platform trial methodology in Alzheimer’s Disease research as well as looking towards the future of drug development. The conversation dissects the origins and ambitions of the EPAD initiative, the conception and scientific function of the readiness cohort, and the pragmatic obstacles to deploying innovative trial models within rigid institutional frameworks. Professor Ritchie details why the EPAD platform trial failed to initiate any therapies, explores the fallout and industry shifts following COVID-19, and maps how Scottish Brain Sciences is directly applying these lessons—establishing the IONA readiness cohort to drive integration between clinical research and clinical practice. 

Key Highlights
• Systematic review of EPAD’s objectives, specifically the platform trial and the development of a readiness cohort to streamline patient recruitment
• Detailed account of practical barriers that prevented EPAD from launching interventional arms, including pharmaceutical sponsor reluctance, inflexible IMI funding mechanisms, and the inherent risk aversion surrounding novel platform structures
• Discussion of participant contribution to research design and delivery—an early demonstration of patient involvement models now broadly recognized as best practice
• Analysis of COVID-19's dual impact—derailing EPAD's momentum while catalyzing a change in industry and regulatory acceptance of platform trials in drug development
• Tracing the origins and operationalization of the IONA readiness cohort at Scottish Brain Sciences, including direct integration of recruitment, biobanking, and engagement systems to address the translational gap in dementia medicine
• Evidence-based critique of persistent use of conventional clinical trial formats in Alzheimer’s disease, dissecting operational, financial, and data limitations that stall progress

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In the Interim...By Berry

  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5
  • 5

5

10 ratings


More shows like In the Interim...

View all
TED Talks Daily by TED

TED Talks Daily

11,184 Listeners

Data Skeptic by Kyle Polich

Data Skeptic

478 Listeners

Political Fix by Financial Times

Political Fix

146 Listeners

Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn by Jon Krohn

Super Data Science: ML & AI Podcast with Jon Krohn

301 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,376 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

56,444 Listeners

Learning Bayesian Statistics by Alexandre Andorra

Learning Bayesian Statistics

68 Listeners

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

808 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

9,799 Listeners

JAMAevidence JAMA Guide to Statistics and Methods by JAMA Network

JAMAevidence JAMA Guide to Statistics and Methods

19 Listeners

Learning English For Work by BBC News

Learning English For Work

50 Listeners