Internal Working Document · Unlisted · Version 1.0 · June 2026
Scientific Network & Competitor Positioning
Key researchers to contact for NeuroFlex partnerships — with institutional affiliations, contact details, and specific relevance. Competitive analysis of RADAR-AD, LETHE, DIMPLAD, and BioCog. NeuroFlex positioning as a complementary layer, not a competitor.
Contents
Priority Researchers to Contact — International
These are the individuals whose names open doors in the Alzheimer's research community. Knowing them — even by reading their publications — matters. Meeting them at conferences or being introduced through Professor Žilka would be transformative for NeuroFlex. Do not cold-email multiple people simultaneously; sequence outreach strategically.
Before any outreach: Read at least 2–3 key publications by each researcher. Reference their work specifically in any email. Generic outreach from unknown entities is ignored; specific, informed engagement gets responses. The list below includes the most relevant publication for context.
🇸🇪 Sweden — Lund University
Oskar Hansson
Tier 1 — Priority ContactProfessor, Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University / Memory Clinic, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö
portal.research.lu.se — Clinical Memory Research ↗
World-leading authority on plasma biomarkers (pTau217, Aβ42/40 ratio) and pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's disease. Principal investigator of the BioFINDER cohort — one of the most influential longitudinal biomarker datasets in Alzheimer's research. His group has published the key validation studies establishing plasma pTau217 as a clinical-grade biomarker. This is the gold standard for Cohort C (biomarker-positive, cognitively normal) recruitment infrastructure.
Key publication: Hansson O. et al. "CSF biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease concord with amyloid-β PET and predict clinical progression." Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2018. (BioFINDER reference study)
→ NeuroFlex relevance: BioFINDER already has biomarker-characterised longitudinal cohorts. NeuroFlex could add a continuous behavioral data layer to existing BioFINDER participants — providing the missing daily life ecological dimension that BioFINDER currently lacks.
Niklas Mattsson-Carlgren
Tier 1Professor, Clinical Memory Research Unit, Lund University
Specialises in tau biomarker dynamics, longitudinal AD progression modelling, and early biomarker-to-symptom transition. One of the most prolific publishers in longitudinal Alzheimer's biomarker research. Closely collaborates with Oskar Hansson.
Key publication: Mattsson-Carlgren N. et al. "Longitudinal tau aggregation, atrophy, and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease." Alzheimer's & Dementia, 2025.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: His longitudinal modelling expertise is directly applicable to interpreting NeuroFlex behavioral trajectories in relation to tau progression.
Henrik Zetterberg
Tier 2 — Key AuthorityProfessor, University of Gothenburg / UCL Institute of Neurology, London
One of the most cited scientists in Alzheimer's biomarker research globally. Primary expertise: CSF and blood biomarkers (NfL, GFAP, pTau), neurochemical diagnostics, and fluid biomarker validation. Editor and co-author of multiple consensus biomarker frameworks.
Key publication: Zetterberg H. et al. "Plasma phosphorylated tau181 and neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease." PMC, 2021.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: If NeuroFlex identifies behavioral patterns that correlate with NfL or GFAP — biomarkers of neurodegeneration — Zetterberg's group is the natural validation collaborator. Not a primary outreach target; approach after an initial result is available.
🇳🇱 Netherlands — Amsterdam & Rotterdam
Wiesje van der Flier
Tier 1 — Priority ContactProfessor, Scientific Director, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC (VU University Medical Center)
Leads the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort — one of Europe's largest memory clinic cohorts with 7,000+ participants, comprehensive phenotyping (MRI, PET, EEG, CSF, genetics, neuropsychology), and a strong data-sharing culture. Her research focus includes early diagnosis, prognosis, personalised medicine, and prevention. She is also a leading figure in Subjective Cognitive Decline research — the population most likely to adopt NeuroFlex.
Key publication: Amsterdam IADL Questionnaire — functional decline detection in early dementia. Multiple publications on digital assessment tools.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: The Amsterdam Dementia Cohort already has the biomarker ground truth NeuroFlex needs. Van der Flier's interest in digital tools and SCD makes her the most strategically important contact in the Netherlands. A data-linking agreement with Amsterdam UMC would immediately solve NeuroFlex's Cohort C ground truth problem.
Pieter Jelle Visser
Tier 1Professor, Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC / Maastricht University
Leading expert on MCI, early-stage Alzheimer's disease, and at-risk populations. Directs research on pre-clinical AD cohorts and has published extensively on SCD and biomarker-defined risk groups. His cohort work directly overlaps with NeuroFlex's Cohort C and Cohort B definitions.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: His SCD and MCI cohort expertise makes him an ideal scientific collaborator for interpreting early-phase NeuroFlex data. Would likely be interested in NeuroFlex as a digital monitoring adjunct to his existing cohort studies.
Philip Scheltens
Tier 2 — Elder StatesmanFounding Director (emeritus), Alzheimer Center Amsterdam
One of the founding figures of European Alzheimer's clinical research. His name carries enormous weight in the research community. Not a direct day-to-day researcher — more relevant as a connection point and strategic scientific advisor at a senior level.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: Mention of familiarity with his work in any outreach signals research community awareness. A direct connection would be most valuable through introduction via van der Flier or Visser.
John van Swieten
Tier 2Professor, Alzheimer Center Erasmus MC, Rotterdam
alzheimercentrumerasmusmc.nl ↗
Contact: alzheimercentrum@erasmusmc.nl
Leading figure at Erasmus MC's Alzheimer Center, specialising in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer's genetics. Erasmus MC brings a strong population genetics and longitudinal registry tradition — complementary to Amsterdam UMC's clinical cohort focus.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: A second Dutch partnership (alongside Amsterdam) would strengthen any Horizon Europe consortium application by adding geographic and methodological diversity.
🇩🇰 Denmark — Copenhagen
Danish Dementia Research Centre
Tier 2 — InstitutionRigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital
Denmark's national dementia research infrastructure with access to national health registries and longitudinal population data. Danish registries are world-class for long-term follow-up studies — if NeuroFlex ever requires large-scale population-level validation (Phase 4), Denmark is uniquely positioned to support this through registry linkage.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: More relevant for later phases (Phase 3–4) when population-scale longitudinal outcome data is needed. Initial contact less urgent than Amsterdam or Lund.
🇩🇪 Germany — DZNE / DELCODE
DZNE — DELCODE Study Team
Tier 1 — Priority InstitutionGerman Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), multiple sites (Bonn, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Magdeburg, Rostock, Göttingen, Tübingen, Witten)
DELCODE (DZNE Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study) recruits individuals specifically with subjective cognitive decline — the exactly population most likely to download and use NeuroFlex. Participants undergo comprehensive biomarker phenotyping (CSF, MRI, PET, genetics). DZNE has established ethical and data governance frameworks for collaborative digital research. The DZNE Technology Transfer Office facilitates company partnerships.
→ NeuroFlex relevance: This is the single most important institutional partnership for Phase 1–2. DELCODE participants are SCD individuals with biomarker ground truth — precisely NeuroFlex's Cohort C and B. A formal data-linking pilot with DZNE (NeuroFlex app deployed to DELCODE participants as a study add-on) would generate the most scientifically valuable dataset possible for Phase 1.
Slovak Research Partners
Prof. Michal Žilka — SAV Institute of Neuroimmunology
Scientific Co-PI — Meeting ScheduledSlovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), Institute of Neuroimmunology / Axon Neuroscience (scientific advisory)
Leading Slovak neuroscientist in Alzheimer's disease research, tau biology, and neuroinflammation. Axon Neuroscience connection provides direct relevance to tau-targeted diagnostics. Proposed role: Scientific Co-PI — formulating hypotheses, evaluating research design, interpreting AI outputs in neuroscience context, co-authoring publications, facilitating international introductions.
→ His value is not patient recruitment. It is scientific judgment, interpretive authority, international network, and grant credibility. See Research Programme Architecture document for exact questions to ask at the SAV meeting.
Mária Bieliková — KInIT (Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies)
AI/ML Partner — PriorityCEO, KInIT, Bratislava
CEO of KInIT, Slovakia's leading independent AI research institute. Expertise in trustworthy AI, explainable AI, human-centred AI, and societal impact of AI systems. KInIT's research agenda aligns closely with NeuroFlex's Phase 2–4 AI requirements. KInIT has existing grant infrastructure and experience with European research funding.
→ Ideal Phase 2+ partner for NeuroFlex ML model development, explainability requirements (clinical reporting needs explainable AI, not black-box models), and Horizon Europe consortium applications. Initial outreach: exploratory meeting to assess mutual interest before committing to formal partnership structure.
Tomáš Vinař — FMFI UK (Comenius University)
Bioinformatics PartnerAssociate Professor, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University Bratislava
Computational biology and bioinformatics expertise. Relevant for NeuroFlex's statistical modelling layer — particularly for longitudinal data analysis, survival analysis, mixed-effects models for repeated measures, and the statistical methodology required for grant applications and peer-reviewed publications.
→ Useful for: Phase 1 statistical design, sample size power calculations for grant applications, methodology sections of scientific publications. A Comenius affiliation also provides access to university ethics review infrastructure.
SAV — Institute of Informatics / Biomedicínske centrum
Supporting PartnersSlovak Academy of Sciences, multiple institutes
Two relevant SAV institutes: (1) Institute of Informatics — machine learning, computational modelling, data analysis. (2) Biomedicínske centrum — biomedical data, clinical research infrastructure, animal models (less relevant for NeuroFlex Phase 1–2 but increasingly relevant from Phase 3).
→ Access facilitated through Prof. Žilka connection. Do not approach cold — let the SAV meeting create the introduction pathway.
Competitive Landscape — NeuroFlex Positioning
The critical strategic insight is that NeuroFlex does not compete with any existing platform in a zero-sum sense. Each existing platform has a structural gap that NeuroFlex is positioned to fill. The correct framing is always: "We add a missing layer to what you already have."
RADAR-AD
RADAR-AD uses passive smartphone sensing (GPS, accelerometer, call metadata) and active cognitive tasks to generate digital biomarkers in clinically enrolled AD populations. It is the most frequently cited precedent for NeuroFlex-type research. Key difference: RADAR-AD was designed for clinical trial monitoring — enrolled clinical populations, fixed study windows, no consumer wellness engagement layer, no latent trait measurement.
→ NeuroFlex position: "RADAR-AD demonstrated that remote digital monitoring is feasible in clinical populations. NeuroFlex extends this approach by (1) operating through a consumer wellness engagement model that enables population-scale reach without clinical enrollment; (2) systematically measuring latent behavioural traits beyond raw sensor data; and (3) using within-person longitudinal baseline modelling rather than cross-sectional population comparison."
LETHE
LETHE combines wearable sensing, AI, cognitive training, and digital biomarkers for MCI prevention in at-risk older adults. It is structurally similar to NeuroFlex's dual mission (detection + intervention) but operates within a clinically enrolled, supervised research framework. No consumer distribution. No latent trait measurement. No personal baseline modelling.
→ NeuroFlex position: "LETHE and NeuroFlex address the same scientific space from opposite directions. LETHE starts with clinical enrollment and adds a digital layer. NeuroFlex starts with consumer engagement and adds a clinical research layer. Together, they support the same scientific hypothesis from complementary methodological directions."
DIMPLAD (TNO, Netherlands)
DIMPLAD aims to develop a smartphone application for earlier recognition of cognitive decline and navigation of users toward diagnosis. This is the closest structural parallel to NeuroFlex's consumer orientation — a smartphone app designed for general population use. However, DIMPLAD's primary goal is cognitive decline detection and referral, not longitudinal behavioral phenotyping. No latent trait layer. No personal baseline architecture.
→ NeuroFlex position: "DIMPLAD and NeuroFlex share a consumer-facing orientation. DIMPLAD focuses on detection and clinical referral. NeuroFlex focuses on longitudinal behavioral characterisation over years — a complementary and potentially deeper research question." If contacted: TNO is also a potential Netherlands network connection point.
BioCog (Lund University / BioFINDER)
BioCog is a digital cognitive assessment platform from Lund University, available on the App Store. It contains standardised cognitive tests (delayed recall, symbol digit, trail making, orientation) and is used as a pre-screening adjunct before clinical biomarker evaluation. It represents structured cognitive performance assessment in digital form.
Key distinction: BioCog asks "How did you score on this test?" NeuroFlex asks "How do you engage with activities in everyday life — and how has that changed?" BioCog is a digital neuropsychological test. NeuroFlex is a longitudinal behavioural observatory.
→ NeuroFlex position when approaching Hansson's group: "We are aware of BioCog and its role in your pre-screening workflow. NeuroFlex is designed as a complementary layer — not replacing structured cognitive assessment but capturing the daily behavioural context between assessments. We would be interested in discussing whether NeuroFlex longitudinal data could add ecological validity to BioFINDER participants already being screened with BioCog."
Competitive Positioning Matrix
| Dimension | RADAR-AD | LETHE | DIMPLAD | BioCog | NeuroFlex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer distribution | ✗ | ✗ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Latent trait measurement | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Personal baseline modelling | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Daily ecological engagement | ~ | ~ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Passive sensing | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | Phase 2 |
| Biomarker-linked cohort | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | Phase 3 |
| Dual mission (detect+intervene) | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi-year sustainability | ✗ fixed window | ✗ fixed window | ~ | ~ | ✓ continuous |
Outreach Strategy
The fundamental principle: You are not selling a product. You are proposing a scientific collaboration that may benefit both parties. The researcher's motivation to respond is: access to a new data type their cohort currently lacks; potential co-authorship; scientific interest in the hypothesis. Frame all outreach around what NeuroFlex can contribute to their research, not what you need from them.
Sequencing
SAV meeting first. Before any international outreach, complete the SAV meeting with Professor Žilka. Ask him specifically: "If you were me, who would you contact first at DZNE, Amsterdam UMC, or Lund?" A personal introduction from him multiplies response probability by 10–30x.
Read before writing. For any researcher you contact, read 2–3 of their recent papers. Your email should reference their specific work — not generically praise their institution. This demonstrates that you understand the scientific space.
One outreach at a time per institution. Do not email Hansson, Mattsson-Carlgren, and a third Lund researcher simultaneously. Pick one entry point and follow through before expanding.
Conference approach before cold email. AAIC (Alzheimer's Association International Conference) and CTAD (Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease) are the primary venues where these researchers present. Meeting in person at a poster session or coffee break is more effective than cold email. Consider attending AAIC 2027 as a strategic networking investment.
First Outreach Email Template
Template — Adapt for each researcher, never send identical emails
Subject: Longitudinal digital behavioural data as complement to [BioFINDER / DELCODE / Amsterdam Dementia Cohort] — exploratory conversation?
Dear Professor [Name],
I am the founder of NeuroFlex, a digital longitudinal behavioural phenotyping platform currently in development in Slovakia, in collaboration with Professor Michal Žilka at the Slovak Academy of Sciences. I am reaching out with a specific scientific question rather than a general partnership enquiry.
Your work on [specific paper — e.g., "plasma pTau217 as a clinical-grade biomarker" / "the Amsterdam Dementia Cohort longitudinal trajectory data"] raises a question that NeuroFlex is designed to investigate: whether individuals with confirmed biomarker pathology show measurable changes in daily-life behavioural patterns — in variables like curiosity engagement, initiative, and decision flexibility — before any clinical cognitive impairment is detectable on standard assessments.
NeuroFlex collects this ecological behavioural layer through a structured daily micro-interaction platform. Your cohort [BioFINDER / DELCODE / Amsterdam] has exactly the biomarker ground truth that would make such behavioural data scientifically interpretable.
I am not requesting access to your cohort data. I am asking whether there might be scientific interest in discussing whether NeuroFlex could serve as a digital behavioural data layer for a subset of [cohort name] participants — contributing a data type your cohort currently does not capture.
Would you be willing to have a 30-minute exploratory conversation at a time convenient to you?
With best regards,
[Name]
NeuroFlex
[email] · [LinkedIn or ResearchGate profile if available]
Conference & Event Opportunities
AAIC — Alzheimer's Association International Conference. The most important annual conference in Alzheimer's research. All key researchers listed in this document present or attend. Annual, typically July/August, alternates between US and international locations. Strategic investment for Phase 2 networking.
CTAD — Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease. Annual conference focused on clinical trial methodology and digital biomarkers. More relevant for Phase 3–4 when NeuroFlex has clinical data to present or pharmaceutical partnerships to explore.
Alzheimer Europe Conference. European-specific, smaller, more accessible. The Amsterdam and Lund groups frequently present. Good entry point for European networking before attempting to attend AAIC.
VAIA / Slovak health innovation events. Domestic visibility matters for grant applications. Being known at Misia Zdravie events and VAIA innovation forums builds credibility with Slovak funding bodies parallel to international scientific networking.