2023 Alzheimer's Association Research Grant (AARG)
Plasma Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease in Adults in the DRCongo
What is an individual’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Jean Ikanga, Ph.D.
Emory University
Atlanta, GA - United States
Background
Many individuals living with Alzheimer’s in the Western world have benefitted from the use of technology, such as brain scans, to help monitor disease progression and inform treatment choices. Other advancements include testing biological samples of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF: the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord) for hallmark proteins of Alzheimer’s. Individuals living with Alzheimer’s in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have the same access to these technologies. Additionally, individuals of color have not been included in dementia research as commonly as white individuals, which makes it difficult to translate research findings across different populations.
Research Plan
Dr. Jean Ikanga and colleagues have been working in the Democratic Republic of Congo to better understand risk factors and Alzheimer’s prevalence in this population. For this study, they will enroll older individuals with and without suspected dementia from Kinshasa and nearby rural villages in Congo. Individuals participating in the study will provide blood samples and complete a series of surveys to measure their cognition. They will also complete the African Neuropsychological Battery, a test developed and validated by Dr. Ikanga’s team to measure cognition in a culturally appropriate manner.
Dr. Ikanga’s team will measure levels of several biological markers, or biomarkers, in the blood samples. They will measure levels of hallmark proteins associated with Alzheimer’s including tau and beta-amyloid, as well as biomarkers previously associated with cognitive disease. The researchers will use statistical analyses to compare these biomarker measurements to cognitive test results. Dr. Ikanga’s goal is to identify appropriate biomarker values that would help identify an individual at heightened risk of developing dementia in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Impact
This study will be one of the first to analyze Alzheimer’s biomarkers in an entirely African population. It is a critical first step toward developing tailored testing and treatment guidelines, and may also help identify any differences in Alzheimer’s risk factors between African and Western populations.