Indiana University: A national powerhouse in Alzheimer’s research, fighting for new cures and treatments

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are changing lives through their pursuit of breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s care. Supported by over $382 million in total active, multi-year grants from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, more than 100 faculty are dedicated to researching the disease. The pathbreaking research ranges from efforts to advance early-detection methods to the pursuit of treatments to slow and prevent neurodegenerative disorders.

The race to develop new treatments has never been more vital as more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, according to the latest data from the Alzheimer's Association. That number is expected to more than double by 2050.

IU's scientific efforts to fulfill a vision of slowing — and eventually defeating — Alzheimer's have been recognized at the highest levels of the field, with IU researchers honored at last year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, the largest and most influential international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science. Cristian Lasagna-Reeves, associate professor of anatomy, cell biology and physiology, received the Inge Grundke-Iqbal Award for Alzheimer's Research for the "most impactful study published in Alzheimer's research over the preceding two years.” IU researchers have also played a major role in bringing some of today’s most prescribed treatments to market.

Unlocking the mysteries of Alzheimer's by studying early-onset patients

IU School of Medicine researchers are leading a groundbreaking nationwide study of a relatively rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease with the support of nearly $78 million to date from the National Institute on Aging. LEADS, the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study, is following participants diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which strikes people younger than 65 — often in their 40s and 50s. The goal is to unlock mysteries about how Alzheimer's disease manifests and progresses.

"We believe there is much to learn by studying Alzheimer's disease in this younger population of patients, who have been largely excluded from large-scale research studies of Alzheimer's disease," said Dr. Liana Apostolova, the Barbara and Peer Baekgaard Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research at the IU School of Medicine.

Designing the next generation of models of late-onset Alzheimer’s

Discovering new methods and medications to stop or minimize the effects of late-onset Alzheimer's disease is also a focus of School of Medicine researchers. It’s the goal of a separate five-year, $48.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging.

The grant will expand the work of the Model Organism Development and Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Consortium. MODEL-AD seeks to generate and validate new animal models of late-onset Alzheimer's disease as well as perform rigorous preclinical testing of potential therapies.

"Over the past several years, the Alzheimer's disease research portfolio at IU School of Medicine has greatly expanded in scope, from understanding the basic disease mechanisms to moving novel therapeutics into patients and everything in between,” said Bruce Lamb, executive director of the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute . "MODEL-AD is a critical piece of that puzzle as we continue to develop the next generation of animal models.”

Laying the groundwork for Alzheimer's disease personalized care with precision medicine

School of Medicine researchers are co-leading another national study that could enable earlier and less invasive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Funded by the National Institute on Aging, the five-year, $41 million study aims to better understand the biological pathways underlying Alzheimer's disease and ultimately create more personalized patient care through the development of a blood test for multiple pathways implicated in the disease.

“While we currently have very powerful and informative measures for Alzheimer's diagnosis, most are slightly invasive and focused on amyloid plaques and tau tangles," said Andrew Saykin, one of the four principal investigators on the study, and director of the Indiana Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and the IU Center for Neuroimaging. "There has been great recent progress with the development of blood tests, but assessing multiple biological pathways earlier and noninvasively could make diagnosis more accessible and treatment plans more individually tailored for each patient.”

Providing a national biobank for AD samples

The IU School of Medicine’s global impact also includes the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias, a central IU-led biobank in the United States that enables scientists from around the world to access critically important biological samples for research.

In 2021, NCRAD received a five-year, $30 million NIA grant that is allowing it to secure a broad range of samples — including DNA, plasma, brain tissue and cell lines — from individuals who represent the diverse populations of our nation and our world. These samples help scientists conduct a variety of Alzheimer's and dementia research, such as the development of less expensive and invasive blood-based biomarker tests for early detection of dementias.

Since its inception in 1990, NCRAD has distributed hundreds of thousands of samples that are equipping researchers from all over the world to expand knowledge and understanding of various forms of dementia. Drawing on NCRAD samples, researchers have produced more than 850 publications in some of the world’s leading scientific journals.

From enabling the work of global researchers to unlocking new treatments and developing new early-detection methods, IU is at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research and driving innovation that will enhance and extend lives for countless patients in the generations to come.

This content was paid for and created by Indiana University. The editorial staff of The Chronicle had no role in its preparation. Find out more about paid content.