Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease is a growing threat to the economic and social well-being of developed countries around the globe, but efforts to delay, prevent, or cure this disorder have yet to yield success. I believe the lack of progress largely results from approaches that ignore the most important component of Alzheimer’s disease: biological aging. Major advances have been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms that link biological aging to disease. These mechanisms have been formalized as nine hallmarks, or pillars, of aging. Here, I discuss the barriers that have impaired progress and propose specific steps that can be taken to overcome these barriers. The time has come to adopt bold new strategies that tackle biological aging as the root cause of Alzheimer’s disease.