Core B: Clinical Core

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ABSTRACT – CLINICAL CORE The overall goal of the Clinical Core is to support high quality, cutting edge, research projects on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (ADRD) by providing data and biospecimens from well-characterized, longitudinally-followed older Blacks who initially enroll without dementia from the community. Blacks are at greater risk of ADRD, but the field has struggled to engage this population in clinical research, particularly in studies that involve biofluids and brain tissue for molecular and biochemical profiling. The Clinical Core has demonstrated expertise and success in conducting studies with older persons under-represented in aging research. It provides participants, clinical data, and biospecimens (brain tissue, DNA, and blood) to support a wide variety of studies by investigators at Rush and across the county, particularly those that historically have had limited data from diverse groups (e.g., neuroimaging, genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, and metabolomics). The Core will 1) continue to recruit, enroll, and perform annual clinical evaluations that are harmonized with the Religious Orders Study and Latino Cores, and two ADRC-affiliated studies, the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP) and the Minority Aging Research Study (MARS), 2) increase awareness of the importance of brain donation through culturally-tailored educational programs, and 3) facilitate externally funded research that aligns with the recommendations of the 2017 NIA Strategic plan. This Core, together with the harmonized cohorts at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, represents one of the largest sources of brain tissue from older Blacks initially without dementia in the U.S. By focusing on older Blacks, a population at high risk for ADRD, to provide clinical data, brain tissue, and DNA, the Clinical Core will continue to serve as a vital resource to the wider aging and Alzheimer’s research community for advancing the science of health disparities and health equity.