Print This PostWe’re delighted to bring together all six episodes from the 2025 season of the Dementia Researcher x ISTAART PIA Relay Podcast into one easy-to-access playlist. This unique podcast series features engaging conversations between committee members of ISTAART’s Professional Interest Areas (PIAs), highlighting the people, research, and priorities shaping dementia science around the world.
Now in its sixth season, the Relay Podcast continues to showcase the breadth and depth of work happening across ISTAART’s global network of researchers. Each episode sees one PIA representative interviewing another, passing the baton along in a chain of lively and insightful exchanges. From plasma biomarkers and neuroimaging to diversity in research and nutrition science, this series captures what’s happening at the cutting edge.
Released daily in the run-up to the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Toronto, each conversation also explores how PIAs are contributing to this year’s conference and advancing their respective fields. The International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Treatment (ISTAART) supports these communities by bringing together specialists with shared interests across its 30 PIAs, helping to connect early career researchers with established experts, and promoting international collaboration.
Here’s a quick look at each episode in this year’s series:
- Episode 1 – Atypical Alzheimer’s Disease PIA – Dr Colin Groot discusses with Dr Alexa Pichet-Binette the unique challenges of researching atypical Alzheimer’s presentations, such as posterior cortical atrophy and primary progressive aphasia, and how neuroimaging is helping clarify their distinct signatures.
- Episode 2 – Biofluid Based Biomarkers PIA – Dr Marta del Campo outlines the latest progress in plasma biomarkers and proteomics with Dr Colin Groot, including how fluid markers are being validated for use in clinical trials and real-world diagnosis, and how collaborations with imaging researchers are expanding.
- Episode 3 – Sensory Health and Cognition PIA – Professor Natalie Phillips shares with Dr Marta del Campo why hearing, vision, and smell are more than sensory losses—they may also contribute to dementia risk. They explore mechanisms, modifiable risk factors, and emerging research challenges.
- Episode 4 – Nutrition, Metabolism and Dementia PIA – Professor Owen Carmichael talks with Professor Natalie Phillips about the rise of precision nutrition and how factors like APOE genotype, diet patterns, and metabolic health may shape dementia risk and prevention strategies.
- Episode 5 – Diversity and Disparities PIA – Dr Shana Stites explains to Professor Owen Carmichael how this PIA is working to improve equity and representation in Alzheimer’s research—whether that’s through inclusive study design, compensation models, or community partnerships.
- Episode 6 – Neuroimaging PIA – Dr Alexa Pichet-Binette joins Dr Shana Stites to discuss how combining PET imaging with plasma biomarkers is reshaping early diagnosis and disease tracking. She also highlights the Neuroimaging PIA’s education efforts, including their standout “Year in Review” and AIC preconference.
🎧 Explore the full playlist below, and listen or watch and hear directly from the researchers shaping the future of Alzheimer’s and dementia science.
🔗 Not yet an ISTAART member? Learn more and join a PIA today at: www.istaart.alz.org
Alzheimer's Association
