UF-led Alzheimer’s research center awarded $22 million grant

As scientists edge closer to changing the lives of people with dementia by finding ways to diagnose it earlier and treat it more effectively, a University of Florida-led research network has been awarded a new $22.3 million, five-year grant to propel these discoveries into clinical practice.

The National Institute on Aging has renewed a grant for the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, or 1Florida ADRC, which uses the newest techniques to evaluate people with and without memory disorders and other thinking problems in research studies as part of the nationwide network of Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers.

“We’ve reached a transformative time in Alzheimer’s research, where not only are we advancing potential disease-modifying therapies, but very soon it may be possible for people to go to their primary care provider and get a blood test before they even have any symptoms,” said Glenn Smith, Ph.D., a professor in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ Department of Clinical and Health Psychology who co-leads the 1Florida ADRC.

“This new federal investment will enable us to continue our vital community-engaged research, which is a catalyst for state and national improvements in public health,” he said.

A collaboration of UF, Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, the consortium also includes health systems and community partners, with a shared goal of expanding access to clinical trials and improving care across the state.

Over 580,000 Florida residents, or 12.5%, are currently estimated to have Alzheimer’s, according to the latest figures from the Alzheimer’s Association, and with population growth, the number of cases is expected to double by 2050. Many more thousands suffer from related forms of dementia, such as Lewy body dementia, which is also a focus of study at the 1Florida ADRC.

Since its launch in 2015, the 1Florida ADRC has contributed to over 410 scientific papers. Among them is a groundbreaking method to detect brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s risk prior to clinical signs, using a type of MRI known as “free-water” imaging to reveal subtle abnormalities in brain microstructures.

That study was led by David Vaillancourt, Ph.D., chair of the UF College of Health and Human Performance’s Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology and principal investigator of the 1Florida ADRC biomarker and neuroimaging component.

Next up, the new federal funding will be combined with state resources such as the Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program to accomplish many goals, said Melissa Armstrong, M.D., a professor in the UF College of Medicine’s Department of Neurology and principal investigator of the 1Florida ADRC clinical component, which has followed over 1,000 volunteer participants with and without memory disorders, as well as family members.

“The 1Florida ADRC is a statewide hub,” said Armstrong, a national leader in studying patient preferences, decision-making and caregiving needs for people with dementia. “We partner with many other research studies. Some researchers are drawing data from the 1Florida ADRC repository; some will use our data to answer a new research question. Sometimes they’re looking for eligible research participants.”

Twenty-four active studies rely on the 1Florida ADRC for data, specimens, expertise and participant referral, fueling research efforts at UF’s McKnight Brain Institute and the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at UF Health. Moreover, the 1Florida ADRC provides pilot grants to early-career investigators to build the next generation of scientists in Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

With the new federal funding, this work will continue at a crucial juncture for the field.

“Thanks to the support and advocacy of the Florida Congressional delegation, the 1Florida ADRC will continue our unique capabilities in computing power and artificial intelligence, advanced neuroimaging, genomics, neuropsychology and neuropathology,” Smith said.