The Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative backed by the National Institutes of Health is entering a new phase of discovery with the launch of ADNI3. The launch comes after a recent $40 million award from the NIH that will be distributed over the next five years and bolstered by an additional $20 million in private sector contributions.
ADNI is one of the largest partnerships between the public and private sector focused on Alzheimer's disease research. The initiative has sought to identify biological markers of potential Alzheimer's risk in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid and DNA. Identifying these biomarkers also enhances scientific understanding of the genetic influences behind the disorder and chemical changes related to the disease. ADNI3 will add brain scans designed to detect tau protein tangles, which are a known indicator of Alzheimer's.
"ADNI3 will move the bar higher still in this collaborative effort to gain a clear understanding of the subtle Alzheimer's-related brain changes in volunteers, long before symptoms appear, and the biological changes that mark its progression," said Richard J. Hodes, MD, director of the NIH's National Institute of Aging. "These insights are vital to researchers and clinicians working worldwide in their selection of clinical trial volunteers and the testing of promising interventions."
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