Unconventional animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and aging: key insights from the UAMAA 2026 conference

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains a major unmet medical challenge, highlighting the need for improved experimental models. The second Unconventional Animal Models of Alzheimer’s Disease and Aging (UAMAA 2026) conference brought together ~150 interdisciplinary researchers to discuss advances across 19 animal models of AD and aging. Six major themes emerged: naturally occurring AD-like pathology, neuroinflammation, population heterogeneity, development of genomic and molecular resources, companion dogs as translational models and the promise of laboratory-amenable species such as the Chilean degu and common marmoset. These discussions highlighted the growing value of cross-species approaches for advancing translational AD research.