Principal investigators Tatiana Foroud, Ph.D., and Andrew Saykin, Psy.D.
Identifying and validating Alzheimer's disease risk factors remains one of the most critical scientific opportunities for preventing and treating the disease. Converging evidence suggests that most cases of Alzheimer's likely involve a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. Greater understanding of what these risk factors are would provide individuals with the opportunity to modify their lifestyles or seek early diagnosis and treatments before irreversible brain changes occur.
A new initiative made possible by the Alzheimer's Association will spur discovery in the area of Alzheimer's and genetics. The Amyloid Neuroimaging and Genetics Investigation (ANGI) is collecting DNA samples from individuals who are undergoing imaging of their brain. This project has tremendous potential for long-term impact on the effort to define the role of genetics in relationship to other factors in the development of Alzheimer's and other dementias.
ANGI is capitalizing on the largest-ever Alzheimer's clinical trial population. Imaging Dementia — Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) is a four-year, $100 million project led by the Alzheimer's Association and the University of California, San Francisco, with support from the American College of Radiology, to determine the clinical usefulness and impact of amyloid PET imaging. IDEAS is providing PET scans to more than 18,000 people with mild cognitive impairment or dementia of an uncertain cause.
Drs. Tatiana Foroud and Andrew Saykin are overseeing ANGI at the Indiana University Imaging Genomics Laboratory and the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer's Disease. They will collect and store DNA samples from at least 10,000 IDEAS participants. This incomparable collection of paired genetic and brain imaging data will make possible an unprecedented level of scientific inquiry by Alzheimer's researchers.
Discovery Science
Early Detection
Treatment
Prevention
Step Up the Pace is a special initiative to increase philanthropic investment in four key dementia research outcomes areas: Discovery Science, Early Detection, Treatment and Prevention.
