Pennington researcher urges renewal of dementia institute, highlights major trials and WebLaBrains study

Dr. Jeffrey Keller, director of the Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention (IDRP) at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, presented the institute’s research, commercialization efforts and public‑facing programs and asked the LSU Board to renew the IDRP for five years.

Keller described Pennington’s participation in landmark Alzheimer's prevention and treatment trials — including the RAD risk‑reduction study, the A4 prevention trial (published in the New England Journal of Medicine), and multi‑site studies on treatments for agitation — and noted collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies. He highlighted Pennington’s patents for brief cognitive screening tools intended for primary care and a driving assessment tool designed to improve older adults’ driving safety.

Keller also outlined the WebLaBrains program, a longitudinal study offering free semiannual cognitive screening with an enrollment goal of more than 100,000 participants nationwide; the program includes a caregiver support component aimed at providing resources for the roughly 200,000+ Louisiana residents providing direct dementia care.

The board approved the five‑year continued authorization for the IDRP as part of the consent agenda.

Why it matters: The institute serves as a state and national center for Alzheimer's prevention research and commercialization of screening tools that could improve early detection and caregiver support.

Board action: IDRP continuation was approved on the consent agenda by voice vote.