A Protocol of Korean JOint RegistrY for ALZheimer's Treatment and Diagnostics (JOY-ALZ)

Geon Ha Kim ¹, Jung-Min Pyun ², Danbee Kang ³, Sung Hoon Kang ⁴, Seong-Ho Koh ⁵, Jae Seung Kim ⁶, So Young Moon ⁷, Won-Jin Moon ⁸, Young Ho Park ², YongSoo Shim ⁹, Dong Won Yang ¹⁰, Young Chul Youn ¹¹, Young Hee Jung ¹², Hanna Cho ¹³, Hojin Choi ⁵, Jae-Sung Lim ¹⁴, Kee Hyung Park ¹⁵, Seong Hye Choi ¹⁶

 

• PMID: 41657474
• PMCID: PMC12876444
• DOI: 10.12779/dnd.2026.25.1.25

Abstract

Background and purpose: To assess the long-term effectiveness, safety, and economic viability of recently approved Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapies, as well as to evaluate the real-world application of novel diagnostics among AD patients with diverse comorbidities, comprehensive real-world data (RWD) analysis is essential. The Korean JOint RegistrY for ALZheimer's Treatment and Diagnostics (JOY-ALZ) endeavors to create a registry of RWD derived from clinical practice on new diagnostic methods and therapeutic agents for AD introduced in Korea since 2021.

Methods: Participants must fulfill all the following: 1) be at least 19 years old; 2) be actively receiving, scheduled to initiate, or undergoing evaluation for any AD disease-modifying treatment; 3) have completed amyloid positron emission tomography or cerebrospinal fluid AD immunoassay (a positive result is not essential for participation); 4) have a clinical classification of cognitively unimpaired, mild cognitive impairment, or probable AD dementia. Data generated during routine care is segmented into a minimum dataset, extended dataset, and research-only dataset requiring extra consent. Assessments encompass clinical, cognitive, functional, neurobehavioral, neuroimaging, and biomarker evaluations, in addition to systematic monitoring of new AD treatments and their safety. Data are collected and monitored at baseline, at semiannual intervals during the initial 2 years, and then annually up to 2034. To date, 46 medical centers will participate in JOY-ALZ.

Conclusions: JOY-ALZ is expected to promote understanding of the long-term clinical outcomes, safety, and cost-effectiveness of recently introduced diagnostics and treatments for AD, thereby supporting the progress of precision medicine in AD care and diagnosis.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06889818.

Keywords: Alzheimer Disease; Biomarkers; Dataset; Diagnosis; Monoclonal Antibody; Treatment.