MUDHRA is a population-based cohort that was set up in 2006 with participants drawn from rural areas of the Mysore district in South India to examine the burden of lung disorders and its impact on physical and mental health, and quality of life
The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) announces that the MUDHRA (Mysuru Studies of Determinants of Health in Rural Adults) cohort based in Mysore, South India is working with the DAC Global Cohort Development program, a data platform to accelerate the discovery, assessment, and delivery of precision interventions for Alzheimer’s disease.
The DAC Global Cohort Development (GCD) platform will help drive scientific discovery by providing researchers access to an extensive, international platform populated with brain related health data from broad and diverse populations. It will support AI and machine learning with organised and aggregated data collected from digital devices through research labs, hospitals and even people’s own smartphones. This data resource will help determine the causes, predispositions, and habits for people who develop Alzheimer’s Disease. It may also inform drug discovery and clinical care at a more rapid pace.
MUDHRA is a population-based cohort that was set up in 2006 with participants drawn from rural areas of the Mysore district in South India to examine the burden of lung disorders and its impact on physical and mental health, and quality of life.
This cohort was set up by Professor Mahesh PA, Department of Pulmonology, JSS Medical College, Mysore. The members of the cohort have been examined for chronic bronchitis, COPD, depression, and vitamin-D deficiency. At present they are undergoing repeat assessments for lung function, exposure to environmental pollutants and cognitive function.
Dr Murali Krishna, Foundation for Research and Advocacy in Mental Health, Mysuru, India and adjunct faculty at Department of Psychiatry, JSS Medical College and Hospital and JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru, India said, “When we began this work our focus was looking at data between exposure to biomass fuel smoke and diagnosis of chronic bronchitis and COPD. We now have a rich repository of historical data providing a view into the health of Indians from living in rural areas. Collaboration and inclusion are essential elements for defeating Alzheimer’s Disease. Working in silos with limited representation of participants from across the world is not producing results, either comprehensively enough or fast enough. Past studies have skewed results because of the exclusion of low- and middle- income resourced areas and/or countries. We believe the important work and scientific data from Mysuru Studies of Determinants of Health in Rural Adults will further advance our understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.”
The Global Cohort Development combines the collaboration, creative thinking, and discovery. Other interested researchers with cohorts that share these objectives are encouraged to apply. Because of the synergistic nature of this work, cohorts with limited resources are put on similar footing with the large research organisations.