# Development of Cognitive and Physical Activity Biomarkers for a Companion Dog Model of Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $414,637

## Abstract

Despite decades of research, there are currently no treatments or interventions that can prevent or reverse the
course of Alzheimer's disease. Model systems approaches provide a powerful opportunity for preclinical in vivo
studies in organisms with relatively fast life histories. However, current models rely largely on laboratory
populations of transgenic mice, with notable limitations for translation to humans. Recently, companion dogs
have been recognized as a valuable model in aging research because they share many important features with
humans, including the same living environments, disease risks and burdens, patterns of actuarial aging, and
access to a sophisticated health care system. Dogs also spontaneously develop age-related cognitive
impairments along with neuropathology resembling that seen in Alzheimer's disease, making them a potentially
powerful model system for Alzheimer's disease research. Although laboratory studies have made progress using
dogs as a model for Alzheimer's disease, current methods for assessing cognitive impairments in aging dogs
rely on specialized equipment and labor-intensive protocols that are not easily employed outside laboratory
settings, limiting our ability to capitalize on the unique benefits of a companion dog model. Thus, there is an
urgent need for validated measures and biomarkers focused on cognitive and physical impairments associated
with Alzheimer's disease which can be implemented in diverse study designs with companion dogs.
 We will develop a set of neuropsychiatric tests and physical activity biomarkers that can be used as early
indicators, diagnostic tools, and outcome measures in a companion dog model of Alzheimer's disease.
Specifically, we will 1) adapt current laboratory neuropsychological tests for economical and scalable
implementation with companion dogs, 2) develop short-form cognitive assessments which can be completed by
citizen scientists, and 3) develop physical activity biomarkers in dogs, based on measures that predict
Alzheimer's disease risk and severity in humans. By integrating these measures with the Dog Aging Project – a
nationwide study of aging in 10,000+ companion dogs – we will lay the groundwork for future large-scale
research developing a companion dog model of Alzheimer's disease. The measures developed in this proposal
will provide key Alzheimer's disease-related endpoints for existing studies in the Dog Aging Project, such as the
Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs – which implements a veterinary clinical trial of Rapamycin – a promising
therapeutic for Alzheimer's disease. Following the development of these measures, researchers will be well
positioned to investigate diverse hypotheses about endogenous and exogenous factors contributing to cognitive
impairments and dementia, in a model with strong potential for translation to humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10118482
- **Project number:** 3U19AG057377-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Daniel Edward Promislow
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $414,637
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10118482

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10118482, Development of Cognitive and Physical Activity Biomarkers for a Companion Dog Model of Alzheimer's Disease (3U19AG057377-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10118482. Licensed CC0.

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