THL researcher, Professor Miia Kivipelto awarded 150,000-dollar prize for dementia research
Professor Miia Kivipelto, the Principal Investigator of the FINGER research project was awarded the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation's Melvin R. Goodes Prize.
The Goodes Prize was awarded for Kivipelto's innovative memory research. The research focuses on the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of cognitive impairment, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The amount of the prize is USD 150,000.
Principal Investigator of the FINGER research project, Professor Miia Kivipelto.
“We are delighted to present this year’s Goodes Prize to Dr. Kivipelto, whose monumental work with the FINGER trial has transformed how we view lifestyle interventions for Alzheimer’s prevention”, said Nancy Goodes, a member of the board of the foundation, speaking at the award ceremony.
“On behalf of my team and me, I am incredibly honoured to receive such prestigious recognition. Receiving this award is an inspiration as we continue with our research into the prevention of Alzheimer’s. The award is also a great recognition for the AD prevention work and the multidomain FINGER model targeting several risk factors and mechanism at the same time. I believe that given the complex and multifactorial etiology of dementia and late-onset AD, this multidomain approach is needed to get an optimal preventive effect”, said Kivipelto in her speech.
Finnish follow-up research in five cities
The FINGER project, which was developed in Finland for the prevention of cognitive decline, has shown that a multidomain lifestyle programme has significant effects on maintaining physical performance and quality of life among the older adults.
The programme includes guided exercise, nutrition advice, cognitive exercises, and prevention of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.
An 11-year follow-up study is now under way in Finland to ascertain the long-term effects of the lifestyle programme on the health and functional abilities of the older adults. FINGER follow-up studies are being conducted in Oulu, Kuopio, Seinäjoki, Turku, and Helsinki. Those invited to take part in the study are between the ages of 70 and 90. The results of the follow-up study will be completed next year.
The FINGER study was the first study in the world to show that by following a versatile lifestyle programme, it is possible to improve the cognitive functions of the older adults and to prevent decline of the cognitive function.
The research is a cooperative effort of THL, the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Oulu, the Turku PET Centre, and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. The benefits of the lifestyle programme are being studied in the World-Wide Fingers research network comprising more than 40 countries.
More information
Miia Kivipelto
Principal Investigator, Professor
THL, Karolinska Institute and the University of Eastern Finland
tel. +46 73 9940922
[email protected]
Karolinska Institutet: Professor Miia Kivipelto Awarded the 2021 Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Innovative Research
The Melvin R. Goodes Prize is awarded annually for significant research into the development of new treatments for Alzheimer's disease. The prize is given by the US-based Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF).
World-Wide FINGERS – A global network of clinical trials for prevention and risk reduction of dementia
