On 10 September 2026, at a press briefing held in Paris, the launch of the ALZEVIT study was announced. Its goal: to bring together 50,000 volunteers aged 45 and over across France, over a period of eighteen months, in order to build the first national registry of the APOE gene.
Recruitment is now open. If you are 45 or over and memory — your own or that of someone close to you — is a concern, you can take part from home.
ALZEVIT does not test any medicine and does not offer any treatment. It is a study falling under category 2 of the French Jardé law, that is to say, one involving minimal risks and constraints for the participant: it observes, measures and compares, in order to provide research with data that is not available today on this scale in France.
"I am delighted that this study is being carried out, because for years now we have needed to commit to prevention on a large scale."
Prof. Audrey Gabelle, neurologist at the CHU de Montpellier (Montpellier University Hospital), principal investigator of the study
The APOE gene, in brief
The study focuses on the APOEgene, one form of which — ε4 — is associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The ALZEVIT study page explains what this gene is and why it is central to the research.
One essential point, and it deserves to be said clearly: carrying the ε4 form does not mean that you will develop the disease. It is a risk factor — not a diagnosis, and not an inevitability. Many people who carry ε4 will never develop the disease; conversely, some people who do not carry it will. It is precisely because this link is in no way automatic that researchers are seeking to understand what makes the difference.
Who can take part?
To join the study, you must:
- be aged 45 or over ;
- and be at least somewhat concerned about your memory, or have a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.
The full eligibility criteria, how the sample is taken and how your data is protected are all set out on the study page, and the most frequently asked questions in Help & FAQs.
Would you like to know your result?
By default, your genotyping result is not disclosed to you. If you wish to know it, you ask for it explicitly at the time of recruitment. In that case, it will never be sent to you in a simple email: the result is given during a teleconsultation or an appointment at a memory centre, with the support of a healthcare professional able to answer your questions.
Who is behind the study?
ALZEVIT is sponsored by FIRALIS SA, a French biotechnology company based for some twenty years in Huningue, in the Haut-Rhin, and specialising in precision medicine. Its chief executive officer, Hüseyin Firat, is leading the project alongside the hospital teams.
The study received a favourable opinion from the Comité de protection des personnes (CPP) Île-de-France VIII, the French research ethics committee, on 8 June 2026. It is registered under the national number RCB 2026-A00246-45 and declared to the CNIL under the MR-001 reference methodology.
In the press
- Vidal — 11 September 2026. A detailed presentation of the protocol, the study’s three phases and the participation criteria, based on the APMnews dispatch.
- France 3 Grand Est — 17 September 2026. A general-audience article on the call for 50,000 volunteers, launched from the Haut-Rhin.
- L’Alsace — 10 September 2026. The announcement seen from Alsace, the region where FIRALIS is based. (subscribers only)
- Traces Écrites News — 10 September 2026. A business perspective on the project and its partnerships. (subscribers only)
