Post-doc: Clinical utility of occipical amyloid burden

The project, supported by GE Healthcare, is a collaboration between Amsterdam UMC, GE Healthcare, and the Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC). The intended start date is February 1, 2026.

PET imaging enables the in vivo identification of amyloid-β (Aβ), the pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Traditionally, Aβ accumulation in sporadic AD follows a single spatial-temporal trajectory, with early involvement of the medial frontal and precuneal cortices. Recent studies, however, have identified three subtypes of Aβ accumulation, including an occipital subtype characterized by early and significant involvement of the occipital and basal temporal regions.

This occipital subtype has been linked to a higher incidence of dementia, faster cognitive decline, and lower APOE ε4 carriership. Posterior Aβ burden also correlates with posterior vascular pathology, reflected by white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI. Moreover, occipital amyloid has been associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), although findings remain inconsistent.

These observations suggest distinct disease pathways depending on Aβ distribution, which may hold prognostic value. At the recent AAIC conference, Lilly reported that a relatively high occipital Aβ burden—compared to global Aβ burden—predicted the presence of ARIA in their Phase III Donanemab trial, a common side effect of amyloid-targeting therapies (ATT).

Finally, the occipital region is not included in the current standard amyloid-PET quantification metric, the Centiloid scale. Incorporating occipital burden into visual and quantitative assessments could therefore provide additional diagnostic and prognostic insight.

This project focuses on validating the presence of occipital Aβ burden, developing the optimal approach for assessing amyloid-PET signal in this region, and determining its clinical utility. The specific aims are outlined below. Are you the multidisciplinary postdoc who will support us in this clinically relevant and innovative project?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious researcher with a strong interest in working in a multidisciplinary, clinically focused field, who already resides in the Netherlands or is willing to relocate. In addition, you have:

• A PhD degree in Neuroscience or a related field;
• Experience with PET imaging;
• Experience in neuroimaging processing, analysis, and visual assessment;
• Strong programming skills (e.g., R);
• Experience with advanced statistical analyses;
• An affinity for Alzheimer’s disease and/or neurodegeneration;
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and spoken.