The International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders, known as AD/PD 2025, brought together thousands of experts to share the latest breakthroughs in research, diagnostics and treatment. This year's event, hosted in Vienna from April 1 to April 5, highlighted progress in biomarker development, precision medicine and disease-modifying therapies, with a strong emphasis on early detection and personalized care strategies. 

Advancements in genetic profiling, neuroimaging and digital health tools are enabling researchers to better understand disease mechanisms (even across different neurodegenerative diseases) and tailor interventions more effectively. 

Here are some of the highlights. 

Momentum Builds Around Alpha-synuclein PET Tracers 

Among the most anticipated developments this year was progress in molecular imaging — particularly PET tracers targeting alpha-synuclein, a key pathological protein in PD. These tracers could allow researchers to visualize and quantify the presence of alpha-synuclein in the living brain, offering powerful new insights into disease progression and treatment response. 

“This is the first time ever that there’s been more than one alpha-synuclein PET tracer in clinical trials being presented at the conference,” said Jamie Eberling, PhD, senior vice president of research resources at The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). “Now we have three reports from this meeting, and it shows that we’ve made significant progress over the past few years.” 

For example, Merck presented its tracer, which the company says offers proof-of-concept for imaging alpha-synuclein in the living brain. The company credits, in part, funding from MJFF’s Ken Griffin Alpha-synuclein Imaging Competition. Merck plans to bring a second tracer into human studies later in 2025, also backed by MJFF funding. 

MGH, another group with funding from MJFF, also presented some promising human data from their alpha-synuclein imaging tracer. Dr. Makoto Higuchi presented similar data from a third tracer. 

None of these tracers are near approval for widespread use, but they show the powerful momentum in the field of neuroimaging. 

Understanding Co-pathology: Moving Toward a Biologic Definition of PD 

MJFF’s chief scientist, Brian Fiske, PhD, emphasized that a recurring theme at the conference is the growing understanding of co-pathology, meaning we are getting an increasingly clear picture of biology that may be shared across neurodegenerative diseases. Recognizing the shared mechanisms across Alzheimer’s disease (commonly associated with clumping tau and beta-amyloid proteins, for example) and Parkinson’s disease (associated with clumping alpha-synuclein) gives researchers new avenues for understanding and treating these diseases, potentially with shared therapies. 

Until recently, it was very difficult to detect the biology that defines these diseases. 

However, after 2023’s biomarker breakthrough, we can now detect alpha-synuclein buildup associated with PD in the living brain, meaning we can also see that this protein can accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease as well. This advancement added to an existing toolkit of biomarkers for other proteins, making it possible to explore co-pathologies more thoroughly. Understanding the various biological features that these diseases can share opens new paths for exploring that underlying biology, and hopefully, addressing it through treatments. 

“With the emergence of new measurement tools and the validated alpha-synuclein seeding assay presented last year, we’re now able to explore these overlapping pathologies through a biology lens,” said Fiske.  

This creates entirely new opportunities for both understanding and searching for treatments for neurodegenerative diseases that may be more biologically linked than previously known. 

Building on Progress Through Collaboration and Open Science 

A major driver behind some of the research presented at the conference is MJFF’s landmark study, the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). Data from PPMI, which is the largest Parkinson’s biobank, has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of neuronal synuclein diseases (brain diseases featuring alpha-synuclein) and was featured in many compelling talks throughout the event. 

From identifying and validating biomarkers to informing diagnostic tools and enabling more precise patient stratification, PPMI is helping to lay the groundwork for the future of clinical trials. Importantly, these data are already shaping how we think about enrolling participants in trials that reflect the biological diversity of PD. 

“PPMI has become a cornerstone for the field of Parkinson’s research,” said Thomas Tropea, DO, member of the PPMI Executive Steering Committee. “Not only are researchers using these data to design trials, but we’re also learning from participants themselves — how people interact with research, what matters to them and how we can better support and engage them in the research process.” 

As the field moves forward, PPMI will continue to be an open-access resource — accelerating progress across studies and helping translate scientific insights into real-world impact for patients and families. 

Overall, PPMI principal investigators presented seven posters and eight oral presentations at the conference, illustrating its impact.  

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