Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and a major public health challenge. The number of people in the United States living with AD is expected to triple to about 13 million by 2050. Yet, the causes of AD are still not fully understood. Recent research suggests that viruses may play an important role in how Alzheimer’s disease develops. Many common viruses can remain in the body for years, and they may affect how the immune system and brain function over time. However, most previous studies have been limited, because they looked only at small groups of people, considered infections late in life, or focused on only one or two viruses rather than the full range of viral exposures people experience. Our study aims to fill this gap by using an innovative technology called VirScan, which can measure antibodies to every virus known to infect humans from a single blood sample. This allows us to create a detailed picture of each person’s lifelong history of viral infections. We will apply this approach to blood samples collected decades ago from participants in the NYU Women’s Health Study, a long-term study of over 14,000 women who donated blood between 1985 and 1991, when they were 35 to 65 years old. Using VirScan, we will measure antiviral antibodies in serum samples from 480 women who later developed AD and 480 women who did not. By comparing these groups, we aim to identify viral exposures that may increase or decrease the risk of developing AD. This study will help uncover new viral risk factors for AD, improve risk assessment in women, and potentially guide the development of future prevention strategies.
