Mission

Translating Research into Personalized Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention

The Center for Personalized Brain Health at USC envisions a future in which Alzheimer’s disease can be prevented before onset. We focus on a particular population disproportionately affected by dementia, individuals who carry a variant of the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene known as APOE ε4, which is the most significant non-modifiable risk factor for AD.

Over half of all people with Alzheimer’s disease carry this variant. APOE ε4 triples risk for Alzheimer’s among the one in four people who carry a single copy of it. Having two copies of APOE ε4 — which happens in 2 to 3% of the population — multiplies Alzheimer’s risk by as much as 12. This risk factor is passed down from one generation to the next. 

The APOE ε4 variant can affect the brain of carriers throughout their lives, but today the changes are only detected after it’s too late and damage to the brain from Alzheimer’s is irreversible. We aim to change that by pursuing comprehensive disease impact, understanding the role of APOE ε4 in Alzheimer’s Disease progression, and translating scientific discovery to personalized intervention for patients with elevated Alzheimer’s risk.

The Center holds a special niche within USC’s rich ecosystem of Alzheimer’s research given our multidisciplinary team and focus on translational impact. We are endocrinologists and geneticists, neuroscientists and radiologists, pharmacists, computer scientists and nutritionists, united by the goal of providing a roadmap for personalized brain health that counters Alzheimer’s genetic risk  and, ultimately, of overcoming the threat of Alzheimer’s disease  and provide tangible impact to patients and families with elevated Alzheimer’s risk.