P30AG092752

North Texas ADRC - This new application is to establish the North Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (NT-ADRC) which will serve North Texas, one of the most-populous catchment areas in the country.

This application describes how we plan to build a unique and interconnected multidisciplinary center that will create an environment that enables and supports innovative research, training and eventually enhance the care and lives of those dealing with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD).

It is built on a strong foundation of AD and ADRD research and will synergize and connect multiple AD/ADRD investigators and their programs at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center, UT Dallas, and UT Arlington.

The NT-ADRC will benefit from the strong institutional support to advance AD and ADRD research, our long history of studying cardiometabolic factors, particularly hypertension, in AD/ADRD, our recent expansion of the cutting-edge neuroimaging, informatics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) capabilities in neurosciences, and the recruitment of multiple key leaders in the neurocognitive space.

The NT-ADRC thematic focus is on examining the roles and mechanisms of hypertension and other cardiometabolic factors in the early phases of AD/ADRD, developing innovative biomarkers for early detection, and identifying related therapeutic targets.

We have an exceptional engagement in our diverse communities that is amplified by the participation of Parkland Health and its community ties.

We also create novel ways to enhance inclusiveness in ADRD research particularly lumbar punctures acceptance and brain donation enrollment.

These amplify the center’s abilities to create a highly diverse UDS cohort representative of our diverse population as evidenced by our affiliated studies (Dallas Heart Study and the NIA-funded Post-COVID Neuro-Cognitive Manifestations in Older African Americans).

The NT-ADRC center addresses multiple elements in the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) and its implementation milestones by enabling ongoing and new research in the preclinical and prodromal stages centered around the discovery of novel disease mechanisms underlying the role of hypertension and other cardiometabolic factors in increasing the risk of AD/ADRD; implementing novel ML/AI approaches to biomarker developments; and paving the way for novel therapeutic developments.

The NT-ADRC will enhance scientific and clinical collaborations by sharing of biosamples and data with local and national investigators, dissemination of research findings to professional and lay audiences and create education opportunities for researchers, clinicians, learners, and the general North Texas community focused on enhancing caregivers’ education and support.

Our commitment to diversity, innovation and rigor to ADRD research will build a new local environment of cutting-edge research and training.

It will also position us to make important contributions to the ADRC network and to advance the national agenda towards meeting the NAPA goals.

The University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

TO ENCOURAGE BIOMEDICAL, SOCIAL, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH AND RESEARCH TRAINING DIRECTED TOWARD GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE AGING PROCESS AND THE DISEASES, SPECIAL PROBLEMS, AND NEEDS OF PEOPLE AS THEY AGE. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING HAS ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO PURSUE THESE GOALS. THE DIVISION OF AGING BIOLOGY EMPHASIZES UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF AGING. THE DIVISION OF GERIATRICS AND CLINICAL GERONTOLOGY SUPPORTS RESEARCH TO IMPROVE THE ABILITIES OF HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS TO RESPOND TO THE DISEASES AND OTHER CLINICAL PROBLEMS OF OLDER PEOPLE. THE DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL RESEARCH SUPPORTS RESEARCH THAT WILL LEAD TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL, ECONOMIC AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT BOTH THE PROCESS OF GROWING OLD AND THE PLACE OF OLDER PEOPLE IN SOCIETY. THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE FOSTERS RESEARCH CONCERNED WITH THE AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE RELATED SENSORY, PERCEPTUAL, AND COGNITIVE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING AND HAS A SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM: TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SBIR PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM: TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.866 - Aging Research

National Institute on Aging (NIA) [HHS - NIH]

Dallas, Texas 75390 United States

Single Zip Code

Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (P30 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) (RFA-AG-24-001)