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The Dementia Researcher ISTAART Relay returns for 2026 with six podcast episodes and two special Relay Live sessions, bringing together researchers from across the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment, better known as ISTAART.
Across the series, members of ISTAART’s Professional Interest Areas interview one another about their research, the communities they represent, the topics shaping their fields, and what their PIAs have planned around the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London and online.
The format is simple: each guest becomes the next host, passing the conversation from one researcher to the next. The result is a connected series that moves across technology, policy, imaging, biomarkers, clinical trials, early career support, sensory health, sex and gender differences, frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, and Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease.
The 2026 Relay series features conversations with Vanessa Young, Lillian Morgado, Patrick Lao, Joe Kane, Sindhuja Tirumalai Govindarajan, Carla Abdelnour, Michael Belloy, Carmela Tartaglia, Sam Lockhart and Ingrid Ekström.
Together, the episodes offer a snapshot of where dementia research is moving now: towards better use of biomarkers, more inclusive research design, earlier detection, clearer trial methods, stronger global networks, and more opportunities for researchers at every career stage to get involved.
Whether you are attending AAIC, joining virtually, new to ISTAART, or simply curious about the work of the PIAs, this collection is a great way to meet the people behind these international research communities.
Watch the full playlist, listen to each episode, and follow the links below to learn more about each guest and how to get involved in ISTAART.
| Title | Description |
| Technology and Dementia PIA: Sleep, Wearables and Digital Equity | Carla Abdelnour speaks with Vanessa Young about sleep, the ageing brain, digital measures, wearables, nearables, AI and making technology-based dementia research more accessible. |
| Health Policy PIA: AI, Biomarkers and the Human Side of Policy | Vanessa Young speaks with Lillian Morgado about qualitative research, legal epidemiology, caregivers, the justice system, AI, blood-based biomarkers and why policy conversations matter. |
| Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Disease PIA: Imaging, Timelines and Trial Readiness | Lillian Morgado speaks with Patrick Lao about multimodal biomarkers, Down syndrome-associated Alzheimer’s disease, disease timelines, risk and resilience, clinical trials and return of results. |
| Lewy Body Dementias PIA: Diagnosis, Biomarkers and Better Trials | Patrick Lao speaks with Joe Kane about Lewy body dementia diagnosis, MIPG and DAT scans, alpha-synuclein biomarkers, skin biopsy, outcome measures and trial design. |
| PEERs PIA: Building Careers, Confidence and Community | Joe Kane speaks with Sindhuja T Govindarajan about neuroimaging, machine learning, large datasets, research careers, AAIC skills sessions and supporting early career researchers. |
| Clinical Trials Advancement and Methods PIA: Mixed Pathologies and Trial Design | Sindhuja T Govindarajan speaks with Carla Abdelnour about Lewy body disease, Alzheimer’s co-pathology, fluid biomarkers, alpha-synuclein, stratification and clinical trial methods. |
| Relay Live: Sex, Gender and FTD in Focus | Adam Smith hosts Michael Belloy and Carmela Tartaglia for a live discussion on sex differences, X chromosome research, frontotemporal dementia, heterogeneity, diversity, biomarkers and AAIC. |
| Relay Live: Neuroimaging and Sensory Health in Focus | Adam Smith hosts Sam Lockhart and Ingrid Ekström for a live discussion on imaging biomarkers, AI, sensory decline, smell testing, dementia risk, translation and AAIC activities. |
Listen on Captivate, on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify
Continue the Conversation with B-Sides
And because the Relay conversations did not stop when the main episodes ended, each of our guests stayed with us for a special B-Sides recording.
B-Sides is our bonus podcast series for Apple Podcasts and YouTube subscribers, where we step away from the main interview format and ask guests a few more off-piste questions about research, careers, conference life, lessons learned and the things that do not always fit into a standard episode.
Across these bonus conversations, the Relay guests share more about the people behind the research, the career moments that shaped them, the advice they would pass on, and the questions they are still thinking about.
So, after you have watched or listened to the full ISTAART Relay series, make sure you head over to B-Sides for the extra conversations with every guest from this year’s Relay.
Available to Dementia Researcher subscribers on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Alzheimer's Association
