South Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Center Biomarker Core

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Biomarkers permit a deeper understanding of biology, improve risk prediction, diagnosis and prognostication at pre-clinical and clinical stages of Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD). The overall goals of the Biomarker core (BC) are two-fold: (1) To provide ante-mortem biobanking services for STAC, that is to collect and store biospecimens for all persons enrolled in the Clinical Core (patients, care partners and controls), an estimated 265/year at their initial and annual follow-up visits, and similarly collect and store biospecimens for persons not enrolled in the CC but referred by another STAC core (e.g. population core study enrollees, clinical trial patients, brain bank donors) and working with the Data, Statistical Management and Administrative Cores catalog, track and share these samples. (2) To identify biomarkers for detecting preclinical ADRD, for risk prediction of progression to MCI and ADRD dementia, and for differential diagnosis and identifying subtypes of ADRD MCI and dementia. The BC is led by Xianlin Han, PhD, a leader in AD metabolomics/lipomics and Mini Jacob, MD, PhD, studying sensory-motor biomarkers in ADRD. We have added Co-I Sara Espinoza, MD, a senior geriatrician who is Director of the GRECC and Pepper Center Clinical Core. To achieve these goals: Firstly, we will collect, process, store, share and track biospecimens (serum, plasma, peripheral blood monocytes, DNA, RNA, CSF and saliva or stool when indicated), as well as non-invasive sensorimotor measures from individuals and link to their clinical, imaging, genomic and neuropathologic data. We will use the latest biochemical and molecular methods and apply best practice procedures. Secondly, we will validate or identify biomarkers among the Hispanic population by collaborating with the CC, PNC, GMC, IC and NPC to correlate the markers with clinical diagnoses, course of disease, imaging and neuropathology. We will make these data publicly available by submitting samples and curated data to repositories such as NACC, NCRAD and NIAGADS. Thirdly, we will identify novel CSF and plasma metabolic biomarkers in individuals with Suspected Non-Alzheimer Pathophysiology (SNAP) with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In collaboration with the CC, PNC and IC we will identify individuals with SNAP with and without T2DM (300-400 in total, half T2DM at rate of ~80/year), identify plasma metabolic biomarkers distinguishing between classical biomarker-defined AD (A+/T+/N+) and SNAP in persons with and without T2DM. We expect to find a unique biomarker and metabolic signature in SNAP compared to AD and in SNAP with T2DM that will help us better understand the biology of SNAP and may help with diagnosis and treatment. In summary, BC will collect and share biospecimens, and generate and share extensive biomarker data in Hispanics to establish a unique resource for understanding the heterogeneity of ADRD in South Texas and for development of AD personalized treatments.