Cambridge-backed collaboration will investigate one of the biggest unanswered questions in dementia research: How much can lifestyle modify genetic risk?
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, June 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — **Key Takeaways:**
• Prema Cognition and the Phoenix Community have launched a research partnership involving more than 3,000 APOE4 carriers to study how lifestyle factors influence brain health and dementia risk.
• Participants will complete regular PREMAZ cognitive assessments alongside tracking sleep, exercise, nutrition, metabolic health, and biomarkers, creating one of the richest longitudinal real-world datasets exploring how genetics, lifestyle, and early cognitive change interact over time.
• The findings could help establish evidence-based guidelines for dementia prevention, moving the field beyond identifying genetic risk toward understanding how people can actively reduce their likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Prema Cognition today announced a new research partnership with the Phoenix Community, one of the world’s largest communities of people who carry the APOE4 gene, the strongest known genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
Working in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Memory Lab, the partnership will investigate how lifestyle influences brain health in people with an inherited risk of dementia. The project aims to generate new evidence that could help shape future dementia prevention strategies for the millions of people worldwide who have a family history or genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease.
Prema Cognition is the company that develops PREMAZ, a digital cognitive assessment designed to detect subtle changes in memory years before conventional cognitive tests identify impairment. Developed in collaboration with researchers at the University of Cambridge, PREMAZ enables researchers to monitor the earliest changes in cognitive function long before dementia becomes clinically apparent.
Through this partnership, more than 3,000 members of the Phoenix Community will complete regular PREMAZ assessments while continuing to record detailed information about sleep, exercise, nutrition, metabolic health, biomarkers, and other lifestyle factors. Together, these data will create one of the richest longitudinal real-world datasets exploring how genetics, lifestyle, and early cognitive change interact over time.
Beyond the APOE4 Gene: The Next Frontier in Dementia Prevention
For decades, dementia research has focused on identifying who is at increased genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The next frontier is understanding how those individuals can actively reduce that risk.
Although carrying the APOE4 gene substantially increases the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease, many carriers never develop dementia. At the same time, numerous modifiable factors such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hearing loss, poor sleep, and physical inactivity also influence dementia risk.
Crucially, genetic risk is fixed. Lifestyle risk is modifiable.
Understanding how these factors interact represents one of the most important unanswered questions in preventative neurology. While growing evidence suggests that certain lifestyle choices may substantially reduce dementia risk, clinicians still have limited evidence to guide patients on which interventions matter most, when they should begin, and how cognitive health should be monitored over time.
The goal of this collaboration is to help answer these questions and generate the evidence needed to inform future clinical guidelines for dementia prevention. While today we already have established protocols for preventing heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis, no such guidelines exist for dementia – and this project hopes to start changing that.
Dr Julia Cooney, Founder and CEO of Prema Cognition, said:
“For decades, carrying the Alzheimer’s gene was widely viewed as an inevitable path to dementia. We now know that’s not the case, and there is enormous potential to prevent or delay dementia. Doctors have evidence-based clinical guidelines for preventing heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis, yet we have nothing comparable for dementia. We hope to generate the evidence needed to change that.”
Kevin Tran, Founder of the Phoenix Community, said:
“Our community is deeply committed to prevention. People invest enormous effort into improving their sleep, nutrition, exercise, and overall health because they want to reduce their future risk. This partnership gives us the opportunity not only to monitor cognitive health using one of the most sensitive tests available, but also to contribute to research that could benefit millions of people with APOE4 around the world.”
A New Generation of Dementia Research: Studying Prevention Strategies
The collaboration represents a shift in the way dementia prevention is studied.
Rather than simply identifying genetic risk, researchers will investigate how lifestyle behaviours influence the earliest measurable changes in brain function using PREMAZ’s highly sensitive assessment of memory quality. By following participants over time, the project aims to generate new insights into the complex relationship between genetics, lifestyle behaviour, and cognitive ageing.
The findings are expected to support future academic research, clinical trials, and, ultimately, the development of more personalised approaches to dementia prevention.
About the Phoenix Community
The Phoenix Community empowers APOE4 carriers worldwide to optimize their health through personalized, science-driven approaches and community support with clinical-grade precision.
Learn more at: https://thephoenix.community/
About Prema Cognition
Prema Cognition is a digital healthtech company focused on earlier detection of dementia. It is the company behind PREMAZ, a digital cognitive assessment created in collaboration with the University of Cambridge Memory Lab. PREMAZ is designed to identify subtle changes in cognitive decline long before symptoms appear. By translating advanced neuroscience into a clinician-ready digital tool, Prema Cognition is enabling earlier intervention and supporting research into brain health. The platform is already in use across clinics and research settings in the UK and the US. Prema Cognition was co-founded by medical doctor Dr. Julia Cooney, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and Cameron Kirkpatrick.
Learn more at: https://www.premaz.org/
Maria Doyle
Doyle Strategic Communications
+1 781-964-3536
maria@doylestratcomm.com
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