Born and raised in Rotterdam, a cum laude graduate of our university and a world-leading researcher in the field of dementia: Prof. Arfan Ikram is the ideal speaker for the Rotterdamlezing on Monday 11 May 2026.
Intellectual challenge, a thirst for discovery and the ability to spot patterns, are what drive Arfan Ikram, as he told Erasmus Magazine in 2025. This has led to an impressive career as an epidemiologist. At the age of 35, he became a professor and head of the Department of Epidemiology at Erasmus MC. He also holds a professorship at the prestigious Harvard School of Public Health and is Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the LUMC as part of Medical Delta. As if that were not enough, he is also chair of ZonMw, a member of the Executive Board of NWO and father to two daughters.
Research of global significance
Under his leadership, significant progress was made in dementia research, particularly in the ERGO study. ERGO is a long-term study conducted in the Ommoord district of Rotterdam. Since its launch in 1990, nearly 20,000 people aged 40 and over have taken part. "The Rotterdam Study" is internationally renowned and has yielded many important insights, particularly in the field of disease prevention. For example, a heart attack without symptoms is not harmless and must be treated just as intensively as a heart attack with symptoms. Or that around 30% of people with skin cancer develop a second skin cancer in the years that follow.
Dementia is not an inevitable consequence of ageing
In the study which Ikram has led since 2017, it gradually became clear that genetic factors, as well as lifestyle, play a significant role in dementia. The risk of developing the disease can therefore be reduced by adopting a healthier lifestyle. The relative risk of dementia has even been declining in recent years, according to an article on Amazing Erasmus MC, likely due to prevention. 'Dementia, too, is therefore not an inevitable consequence of ageing', says Ikram. 'We hope that further research in the future will lead to measures to prevent dementia.'
Genetics, head size and dementia
Ikram himself had his eureka moment when he discovered a link between genetics, head size, and dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Using a then-new analytical technique known as "genome-wide association studies", he conducted an analysis which revealed that one genetic variant was strongly associated with head size: a variant in the tau gene. 'This gene encodes the tau protein. That is one of the proteins that later in life precipitate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease; they become tangled inside brain cells and form tangles, causing the cells to lose their structure and die. I found the link between that gene, head size, and the risk of dementia', he told Erasmus Magazine. 'At that moment, I realised I was the first person in world history to know that this tau gene is important for cranial volume. For an entire afternoon, I was the only person with this information. I thought: "This is the discovery, this is why I do what I do".'
No miracle cure for dementia
Although significant progress has already been made in the research into and treatment of dementia, no miracle cure has yet been found. Arfan Ikram explains in a podcast that this is unlikely to happen: 'It is a multifactorial disease, which means there is probably no single miracle drug. Of course, everyone hopes for a single major breakthrough one day, but it is more realistic to expect that we will take several small steps in the coming years. Even though these are small steps, I expect that over the next 5 to 10 years we will indeed make a substantial step towards reducing the risk of dementia.'
We cannot influence our genes, but we can influence how we live. For dementia too, not smoking, little to no alcohol, a healthy diet and sufficient exercise reduce the risk of the disease. Brain training is also important in this regard: 'Brain training can be traced back to the concept of ‘cognitive reserve’: a buffer in your brain that you build up early in life and which ensures that your brain is more agile later in life. You build up this buffer by challenging your brain with complex tasks. Although this is developed early in life, it can also be boosted later on, for example by continuing to stimulate your brain through activities such as tackling challenging tasks or maintaining an active social life.' The treatment of dementia will therefore be based on a combination of lifestyle advice and medication in the future.
The future of dementia research
How does Arfan Ikram envisage the future of his research? Speaking to the platform Amazing Erasmus MC, he says: 'The key now is to be able to detect causes with ever-greater precision. Think of subtle genetic effects and biomarkers in the blood.' He also sees benefits in identifying risk factors at a population level through exposure to environmental factors, such as air and noise pollution, as well as microplastics. 'That is a new challenge, one that requires patience. Because with such risk factors, we must convince not only healthcare providers and patients, but above all policymakers.'
A major shortcoming of the ERGO study is that it only includes data from a single population group in Rotterdam, even though the city is home to people of more than 150 nationalities. 'It would be a significant enhancement to dementia research if we could also gather more knowledge about the onset, risks and prevalence of dementia in more diverse population groups', says Arfan Ikram. 'This would enable us to develop even better approaches to the prevention and treatment of dementia.' Arfan’s dream is therefore to set up a study like ERGO in Rotterdam Zuid: 'This will make Rotterdam even more important and influential in international dementia research, and we will be able to have a much greater positive impact on the city’s health.'
- More information
Would you like to know more about Arfan Ikram’s future plans, particularly for Rotterdam Zuid? Come to the Rotterdamlezing on 11 May and find out more.
More science stories? Have a look at our online magazine Erasmus Extra.
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- Related links
- Amazing Erasmus MC | Illness in older age is not a given: insights from 35 years of Rotterdam population research
Erasmus Magazine | Arfan Ikram searched for a gene that could explain Alzheimer’s, but his discovery raised more questions than answers
Medical Delta | Portret en video Arfan Ikram: “In het veld worden regelmatig keuzes gemaakt ten nadele van preventie”
