China faces a demographic time bomb: by 2050, it could have over 100 million people affected by Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. This projection represents a multiplication by six of the 17 million cases recorded in 2021 within less than thirty years, according to the most pessimistic estimates. Nearly 30% of global dementia cases are already located in China, a situation exacerbated by the legacy of the one-child policy, which has reduced the working-age population’s ability to care for an rapidly aging society.
For the Chinese government, finding a cure for Alzheimer’s is no longer merely a public health issue but a matter of national security. In response to this threat, Beijing has launched an unprecedented technological offensive, mobilizing genetic manipulations, brain microsurgery, and insights from traditional medicine. The country is no longer merely catching up with the West in this field; it aims to take the lead in global research.
To win this race, China has activated its most powerful lever: massive recruitment. World-renowned researchers who trained in Vancouver, Melbourne, or London are returning to settle in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, attracted by colossal funding. A striking example is neurobiologist Weihong Song, who left Canada to found the Oujiang laboratory in Wenzhou. In five years, his center has recruited 800 scientists and received 1.2 billion dollars in funding.
