October 31, 2025
We are excited to let you know that the ALLFTD study has received funding from the National Institutes of Health for the next phase, currently referred to as ALLFTD2. ALLFTD is a natural history study, which collects critical data to examine the progression of FTD over time – supporting better disease detection, clinical trial infrastructure, and is a key resource for advancing FTD research worldwide.
Natural history studies like ALLFTD and ALLFTD2 generate comprehensive data, such as biosample collection, and imaging and clinical data, that is important for FTD scientific discoveries and clinical trial development. The ALLFTD and ALLFTD2 research studies involve specialized research groups, all focused on the most current implementation of scientific advances, and are responsible for leading initiatives for new discoveries in the field. This requires considerable investment, both financially and from participants and scientists, in order to succeed.
The natural history study began in 2019 through an NIH grant that merged two previous studies: Advancing Research and Treatment for Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ARTFL) and Longitudinal Evaluation of Familial Frontotemporal Dementia Subjects (LEFFTDS).
The ALLFTD research network of 28 clinical sites in North America has evaluated over 3,000 participants, many of whom are actively involved in the research community. This study has provided valuable insight into disease monitoring for participants at risk for FTD or living with FTD. It also provides extensive data for researchers.
The reach of ALLFTD’s first iteration extended well beyond its direct outputs – by expanding research participant groups, sharing data with other researchers, and leading scientific analyses to better understand how the disease manifests and progresses to inform detection and treatment.
Thanks to incredible participation by many individuals, ALLFTD has also contributed to developing new tools, such as biomarker development, and the ALLFTD mobile app, which uses remote data collection to make participation more accessible.