The Weston Family Foundation has awarded funding to Amanpreet Badhwar, Laboratory Director at the CRIUGM and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Montreal, for her project entitled “Translational Integration of Blood-based Biomarkers and Virtual Reality Cognitive Testing for Enhanced Subtyping of Subjective Cognitive Decline”, selected under the foundation’s Rapid Response program.
Amanpreet Badhwar’s project focuses on subjective cognitive complaints—situations in which individuals report memory difficulties despite standard cognitive assessments showing no abnormalities. Although common, these complaints remain challenging to interpret in clinical settings. For some individuals, however, they may precede the onset of more pronounced cognitive impairments, such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
The project aims to better characterize these at-risk profiles by combining innovative assessment tools. The team will employ a virtual reality cognitive test designed to precisely observe how individuals memorize and structure information, alongside a blood analysis targeting a panel of 30 proteins associated, according to the scientific literature, with an increased risk of cognitive decline.
By integrating these data using advanced analytical methods, such as machine learning, the goal is to more accurately distinguish individuals whose cognitive complaints reflect normal cognitive aging from those likely to progress to mild cognitive impairment over time.
Ultimately, this approach could contribute to the development of more sensitive and scalable assessment tools, enabling earlier guidance for monitoring and interventions for at-risk individuals.
“Our research focuses on detecting early cognitive decline in older adults by identifying those at highest risk for dementia before standard assessments show impairement. This fundind enables us to combine virtual-reality memory testing with blood-based biomarkers to develop a sensitive and scalable predictive tool.” Amanpreet Badhwar
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Read the original press release from the Weston Family Foundation
About the Weston Family Foundation
The Weston Family Foundation supports scientific research aimed at improving the health and quality of life of the Canadian population. The Rapid Response program provides seed funding to support the identification and validation of innovative, bold, and high-potential solutions for age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Supported projects must demonstrate strong potential to improve clinical outcomes and patients’ quality of life in real-world care settings.