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DURHAM – Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) will establish an Alzheimer’s Research Center (ADRC) as part of a federally funded national network, and the institutions have received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to do this.
The center will be one of 33 nationwide and, according to a joint statement, “will focus on identifying age-related changes across the lifespan that impact development, progression and experience of Alzheimer’s disease and associated dementias “.
The center is the result of a collaboration that the two universities started in 2019 and is based on the research of an interdisciplinary team that includes experts in geriatrics, neurology, psychiatry, radiology, bioinformatics and pathology.
This center will distinguish itself by focusing on adults between the ages of 25 and 80, as researchers look for signs of dementia before memory problems present in patients, according to a statement. “By identifying these biological processes, researchers may be able to develop tools for earlier diagnosis and determine new targets for treatments that prevent or delay onset,” the statement said.
Dr Heather Whitson, MD, co-principal investigator and professor of medicine and director of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, said in a statement that the center will increase participation in clinical trials among under-represented groups. as well as people who are in their early to middle adulthood.
“That’s where the scientific payoff is: understanding what happens early,” Whitson said.
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The other principal investigator is Dr. Gwenn A. Garden, MD, Ph.D, professor and chair of the department of neurology at UNC in the faculty of medicine at UNC.
“The reasons why the risk of dementia is higher among black populations have not been well studied,” Garden said in a statement. “Enrolling a diverse cohort comprising people with different lifestyles and racial backgrounds will help address risk in populations. This is important because we do not know whether current diagnostic approaches are as effective in populations that have not been well studied.
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The center will be funded by the NIH, under NIH grant P30AG072958, according to a statement.
The funding will allow teams at UNC and Duke University to engage local communities, Whitson and Garden said in a statement.
Part of the centre’s role as the designated NIH ADRC will be to share research with other ADRCs across the country, with the goal of helping scientists and researchers learn more about dementia, and do it faster than would otherwise be possible.
The National Institute on Aging, part of NIH, created the ADRC network in 1984 to advance research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“We are delighted to move forward with this designation as an Alzheimer’s disease research center,” Whitson said in a statement. “This will strengthen our missions of engaging with our community, educating patients and families about dementia and world-class care and research options, as well as encouraging and educating students and young people.” aspiring researchers who also represent the diversity of our state and will become leaders in our fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
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