HTORR High Priority Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Human Biospecimen Resource

National Disease Research Interchange, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Program Director/Principal Investigator (Last, First, Middle): Bell, Thomas, J. Project Summary: The development of effective treatments or cures for a wide range of diseases requires translational studies that are directly relevant to human pathophysiology. The use of human biospecimens plays a key role in accelerating scientific discoveries in neurological research by providing scientists with a direct experimental model system to advance understanding of pathogenesis and treatment of neurological disease, including Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD). To address several complex issues facing AD/ADRD research, including disease etiology as well as the development of improved diagnostics and treatment strategies, investigators require access to a unique human tissue resource that could provide rigorous and uniform collection of human biospecimens from defined cohorts of post mortem AD/ADRD and normal control donors to yield consistent and reproducible experimental results for inventive and groundbreaking studies. As a leading human tissue provider for the biomedical research community, the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) is a 501(c)(3), not- for-profit organization that remains at the forefront of coordinating biospecimen procurement to match the needs of advancing scientific experimental methodologies, enabling cutting-edge research. For over 30 years, NDRI has received NIH funding for the parent award to this administrative supplement, the Human Tissue and Organs for Research Resource (HTORR) Grant Number: U420DO11158. To address the high priority areas of research for AD/ADRD that require both post mortem biospecimen collection that are beyond the scope of HTORR, NDRI is expanding their capabilities to create a new resource, the AD/ADRD Human Biospecimen Resource (ADBR), funded by the active award 3U42OD011158-30S1. In Program Year 3 of the ADBR, NDRI continued to follow the recommendations from ADBR Advisory Council regarding biospecimen collection and distribution for the ADBR that align with an unmet or under represented need in the field. For the current proposal to continue the progression of the ADBR, NDRI proposes to enhance the success of ADBR’s service to investigators in PY4 by 1) providing a nationwide network of TSS to provide access to diverse post mortem diseased and non-diseased donor cohorts, 2) recovering and distributing CNS tissues in addition to other tissues and fluids of interest, and 3) enhancing communication to the biomedical research community to recruit new ADBR investigators and assess unmet needs of the AD/ADRD field. In contrast to similar resources, the ADBR’s extensive outreach efforts and customized approach to investigator needs are key differentiators for the resource. Collectively, the ADBR’s goals and efforts provides a dynamic and synergistic NIH-funded resource to support the advancement of critical unmet research needs for the AD/ADRD research community. Relevance: As the most common cause of dementia, AD is a devastating, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects over 5.7 million Americans (Alzheimer’s Association et al, 2018) and has a significant burden on the US healthcare system as well as caregivers. As of yet, there are no disease-modifying treatment options available for AD/ADRD patients, making this a high priority for the research community. The objective of this proposal is to provide biospecimens from post mortem AD/ADRD donors, as well as non- diseased control donors for the AD/ADRD Human Biospecimen Resource (ADBR) that are suitable to support critical lines of investigation that address high priority needs and key issues in the field. OMB No. 0925-0001/0002 (Rev. 03/2020 Approved Through 02/28/2023) Page Continuation Format Page