Emory Alzheimer's Disease Research Center

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SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: BIOMARKER CORE Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic disease that progresses through a lengthy asymptomatic period before entering a period of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Using current biomarker tools, we can determine with a fair degree of confidence whether or not AD-related pathology is present in a living individual. However, there remain major limitations in the capabilities of AD biomarkers, and there is a critical need for new biomarkers to overcome remaining barriers. The proposed Biomarker Core will support research activities in the Emory ADRC by pursuing three Specific Aims: 1) Perform and analyze standardized genetic profiling and explore promising candidates; 2) Perform and analyze standardized CSF AD biomarker assays and explore promising candidates; 3) Perform and analyze standard brain imaging and evaluate promising additional sequences. The proposed Biomarker Core will provide a number of important enhancements to the research environment. Longitudinal collection of common datasets, including clinical information, CSF AD biomarkers, core genetic information, and standard brain MRI sequences, will provide foundations upon which new AD biomarkers can be tested, evaluated, and confirmed. Exploratory research in each of these areas should provide significant advances in CSF proteomics, new MR sequences, and genomic data. Lastly, the current proposal engages a group of talented investigators who will bring their expertise to the ADRC and the larger research community. Each of these elements advance the overall goals of the ADRC and will provide a wealth of data for new trainees.