4th Edition 2026

Miller School of Medicine researchers develop a real-world model to assess Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Published on: Mar 19, 2026

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are rising with aging populations, but they rarely occur in isolation. Instead, they develop alongside complex combinations of chronic conditions, social influences, and long-term health patterns that traditional research models often overlook.

To address this, the Multimorbidity 3-City Alzheimer’s Disease (M3AD) Analytic Platform is being developed by researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, in collaboration with Columbia University and the University of Chicago. This large-scale initiative integrates electronic health records, neighborhood-level data, and advanced analytics to better understand how Alzheimer’s develops, progresses, and can potentially be prevented.

The platform recognizes that patients carry decades of vascular, metabolic, and social exposures, making it essential to study health trajectories rather than isolated diagnoses. With multimorbidity affecting nearly 90% of adults over 60, the project leverages longitudinal data from nearly 10 million patients across Miami, New York, and Chicago. Using federated learning methods, the data remain secure within each institution while enabling collaborative analysis.

M3AD harmonizes clinical data including diagnoses, medications, lab results, imaging, and clinical notes while applying natural language processing to detect symptoms and cognitive indicators not captured in structured data. It also incorporates social determinants such as education, income, and neighborhood factors, providing a more comprehensive view of Alzheimer’s risk.

By focusing on patterns, progression, and management of chronic conditions like hypertension and diabetes, the platform aims to identify critical windows for early intervention and more effective prevention strategies.

Source: https://news.med.miami.edu/multimorbidity-real-world-alzheimers-risk/

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