Grants and Contracts Details
Description
SCOPE OF WORK
University of Kentucky (UK)
The Alzheimer’s Biomarker Consortium – Down Syndrome (ABC-DS) study is currently
supported by the NIA and the NICHD to conduct a longitudinal study of biomarker and genetic
risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in adults with Down syndrome (DS). This is a population that
is at extremely high risk for developing AD, based upon the overproduction of amyloid plaque
(due to the presence of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) on the trisomic chromosome 21).
While the mean age for developing AD among adults with DS is approximately 53 years, there
is considerable variability in the age of onset, ranging from prior to age 40 to over age 70.
Therefore, other factors such as genetics, lifestyle, and comorbid health issues likely contribute
to the age of individual AD onset. Another possible factor contributing to age of AD onset is
family history, especially a maternal history of dementia, which is known to increase the risk for
AD in the general population.
In this administrative supplement, we propose to leverage the currently funded ABC-DS
to pilot a project focusing on parents of adults with DS, allowing us to address important
questions related to the potential impact of a range of maternal genetic factors on both maternal
AD risk and AD risk to their DS offspring. We propose to conduct a cross-sectional study
examining blood-based AD biomarkers (e.g., plasma Aβ1-42, NfL, ptau181) and genetic factors
among a cohort of healthy middle-aged and senior men and women whose adult children with
DS are serving as participants in the ABC-DS. We propose to enroll approximately 22 mothers
and fathers (150 across the entire ABC-DS network) of current and future ABC-DS participants
from the UK site over a one-year period. Participants will undergo a brief neuropsychological
evaluation, complete a set of questionnaires related to family history, physical health history and
mental health, and provide blood for omics and genetics analyses. UK staff will develop an IRB
submission or this study, enroll participants, obtain measures and ship plasma as outlined in the
study protocol.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 9/30/20 → 8/31/23 |
Funding
- University of Pittsburgh: $46,454.00
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