# A nutrigenetic study of Purine metabolism and Cognitive function

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $388,537

## Abstract

PROGRAM SUMMARY
The main aim of the NIH Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) is to assist researchers in advancing
their research in the field of obesity and nutrition. The Precision Nutrition core, directed by Dr. Voruganti is
one of the UNC NORC cores that provides an all-encompassing support system providing investigators with
the design and implementation of nutrigenetic, nutrigenomics and microbiome research components of
obesity studies.
In this administrative supplement, we propose to a pilot study in which we will generate a model that can
predict the risk for cognitive decline based on their genetic, dietary, metabolic and demographic variables.
Cognitive decline is a key clinical feature of the neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an
extremely debilitating condition. The prevalence of AD is expected to increase to 14 million by 2050 in the
US and 130 million worldwide. Considering that there is no cure for AD, it is imperative that we take
measures to predict its onset and design interventions which can either prevent and/or slow down the
progression of its symptoms, particularly cognitive decline. Cognitive decline is influenced by multiple
genetic and environmental factors and it has proven difficult to predict. Previous models predicting the risk
for cognitive decline have either been based on invasive markers or focused on only a few sets of genotypes
or phenotypes. In this project we will use an established cohort of elderly adults for developing a risk
prediction model and then use data from the Baltomore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) data repository
to test, validate and confirm this model. We expect that the resultant model will facilitate efficient and cost-
effective nutritional interventions to prevent or slow the rate of progression of cognitive decline in middle-
aged and elderly adults.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10123244
- **Project number:** 3P30DK056350-20S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Carol L Cheatham
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $388,537
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1999-09-30 → 2021-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10123244

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10123244, A nutrigenetic study of Purine metabolism and Cognitive function (3P30DK056350-20S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10123244. Licensed CC0.

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