SEACURE+ to boost rate of early dementia recognition and intervention

Malaysia is a member of the Southeast Asian Consortium on Neurocognition, Neuroimaging and Biomarker Research Plus (SEACURE+), the first consortium dedicated to tackling dementia in the region. The institution behind this consortium is Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, which includes a group of 24 clinicians from the region and beyond.

SEACURE+ is chaired by Associate Professor Dr Nagaendran Kandiah, the Director of the Dementia Research Centre Singapore (DRCS) at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine). The consortium brings together thought leaders and experts in dementia, including neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, and researchers. SEACURE+ will consolidate resources and data representing the region’s 700 million people to better understand the region’s unique brain traits and develop a harmonised approach to dementia prevention and management.

The consortium began as a working group in 2023 comprising Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. At its official launch on 28 November 2025, SEACURE+ expanded with the addition of Brunei and Myanmar as new member countries and inducted China and India as honorary members. The inclusion of China and India allows for comparative studies between populations living in Southeast Asia and those in their home countries, enhancing the understanding of how environment, culture, and epigenetics influence the biological processes underlying dementia.

Professor Dr Tan Maw Pin, a SEACURE+ member and professor in geriatric medicine from Universiti Malaya, said: “Southeast Asians have many commonalities in their culture, beliefs and lifestyle risk factors. SEACURE+ brings together like-minded clinicians from these countries to address a major need, with our countries being among the fastest ageing nations globally.”

She added that the rapid shift in population demographics will be accompanied by an even faster increase in dementia cases, as it mainly impacts older adults. Early detection plays a vital role in enabling countries to manage the unprecedented growth in dementia, which carries substantial socioeconomic challenges. “SEACURE+ will be the platform for us to work together and share knowledge in order to enhance the rate of discovery and management of early dementia in our region,” she said.

According to Professor Joseph Sung, NTU Senior Vice President (Health and Life Sciences) and Dean, LKCMedicine in Singapore, “Leading SEACURE+ is an extension of LKCMedicine’s efforts to consistently seek innovative ways to transform detection and treatment of diseases, such as dementia, among our Asian population, and improve their wellbeing. This consortium will be able to translate the clinical and academic expertise of our regional partners to in-depth understanding of how dementia affects people in this part of the world as well as development of more personalised and scalable solutions.”

Increasing number of patients with mild cognitive impairment
Through initial data sharing, SEACURE+ has identified a growing trend of patients presenting with symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at memory clinics, which previously saw mainly moderate-to-severe dementia cases. [J Prev Alzheimers Dis 2025;12:100110] Also known as pre-dementia, MCI represents a critical window where early intervention can slow down disease progression.

To help member countries take advantage of this window, SEACURE+ is calling for stronger and coordinated regional efforts to improve early detection and management of MCI. These include country-specific validation of cognitive tests, development of digital diagnostic tools, adoption of blood-based biomarker testing, and the integration of cognitive screening into national health programmes for older adults.

Kandiah said: “The trend that the SEACURE+ members are observing at their respective clinics point to more people being diagnosed with MCI. Since the signs and symptoms of early stages of MCI are usually not obvious to patients or caregivers, it is likely there are more patients who are not getting the diagnosis and management they need to lower the risk of dementia.” Understanding this trend across the region and equipping clinicians with efficient diagnostic tools and management are amongst the key aims of this consortium. It will allow SEACURE+ to revolutionise dementia care and enhance public awareness, he added.

SEACURE+ will leverage the expertise of DRCS, which is now testing new pharmacological and lifestyle interventions to address the narrowing of blood vessels. Data from ongoing clinical trials with novel pharmacological agents will also be made available to member countries. In addition, diagnostic digital cognitive evaluations developed at DRCS will be rolled out in member countries.

Why a Southeast Asian dementia consortium is needed
Dementia in Asians often presents with distinct cognitive symptoms, underscoring the need for a consortium focused on understanding the epidemiology of MCI and dementia in Southeast Asia.

Findings from the ongoing Biomarkers and Cognition Study, Singapore (BIOCIS)* led by DRCS show that among participants with MCI, 40 percent showed signs of narrowing blood vessels. Researchers also found that the Apolipoprotein gene E4 (APOE-E4), commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, accounted for only 20 percent of the cases among study participants with MCI. In addition, the researchers identified blood brain barrier “leakiness”, a dysfunction where the barrier between the bloodstream and the brain becomes less effective at regulating the movement of substances, as a major mechanism contributing to cognitive impairment in Asians. [J Prev Alzheimers Dis 2025;12:100029]

Taken together, these findings indicate that the pathways driving cognitive decline in Asian populations differ significantly from those observed in Western populations, reinforcing the need for region-specific research, diagnostics, and interventions.