2024 Capacity Building in International Dementia Research Program (CBIDR)
Building Capacity in Neuropathology in a Low- and Middle-Income Country
Can expanding a brain bank help promote dementia research in Brazil and other low- and middle-income countries?
Claudia Suemoto, M.D., Ph.D.
Universidade de São Paulo Medical School
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Background
Studies report that nearly two-thirds of individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias live in low- and middle-income countries. These countries may also have higher numbers of adults with undiagnosed dementia, especially among individuals from vulnerable racial and ethnic groups. Moreover, awareness of dementia and its risk factors in these places may also be low. One way to target such disparities is by promoting the development of local brain banks – collections of brain tissue from people who had Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Such material can be used to study how dementia impacts local communities and may lead to improved methods of dementia diagnosis and treatment.
In one middle-income country, Brazil, a brain bank called the Biobank for Aging Studies (BAS) has been in operation for nearly 20 years. Its collection, however, is limited, and there is insufficient staff to conduct analysis and promote novel brain studies.
Research Plan
Dr. Claudia Kimie Suemoto and team project will enhance the capacity of the biobank. They will hire additional staff to increase the size of the BAS collection and to conduct genetic sequencing and other standard analyses of the brain samples. They will promote and facilitate future research projects, and begin a program to train local postdoctoral researchers in how to conduct such research. Dr. Suemoto and team will monitor how well these additional resources and programs increase the size of the BAS collection and lead to novel research proposals.
Impact
Dr. Suemoto’s project could lead to a significant expansion of brain research in Brazil. Such work could also improve dementia awareness, diagnosis, and treatment in many other low- and middle-income countries.
The Capacity Building in International Dementia Research Program (CBIDR) is jointly funded by the Alzheimer's Association and Global Brain Health Institute.