Genome Center for Alzheimer's Disease (GCAD)

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Overall Project Summary Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects 5.8 million people in the United States, and is an immense burden on patients, caregivers and on the economy. No disease-modifying treatments or preventions exist, and we need better understanding of the disease and new therapeutic strategies. Genetic discoveries are one source of candidate therapeutic targets. One source of genetic targets is the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), a National Institute on Aging (NIA) initiative since 2012 to sequence genomes and exomes of AD subjects and cognitively normal elderly controls. The Genome Center for Alzheimer’s Disease (GCAD) is the analysis coordinating center for the ADSP. In the previous grant cycle, GCAD processed all AD-relevant sequencing data producing harmonized genetic data for AD research. This renewal responds to the increase in the amount and complexity of ADSP sequence data, the collection of new types of data, and an expansion of the types of analysis being performed. In addition to sequence data, GCAD will harmonize functional genomics data. GCAD will provide fully quality-controlled and annotated genetic and functional genomics data that is analysis ready. In addition to AD, GCAD will also work with data for AD related disorders (ADRD). These include frontotemporal dementias (FTDs), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), and Parkinson’s disease with dementia (PD-d). In the Y6-10 funding period, GCAD will assemble and harmonize whole-genome/whole-exome sequencing data, and provide it to ADSP investigators and the general scientific community. GCAD will work with US and non-US groups to analyze data by fostering a collaborative environment, and providing infrastructure support. GCAD will also assemble and harmonize functional genomics data which will be integral to identifying genes as candidate drug targets. The research plan will lead to a high quality, comprehensive, harmonized collection of genetic and functional data with detailed supporting resources including documentation and optimized computer codes. This resource will be invaluable for the entire AD research community.