# Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center

> **NIH NIH P30** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2020 · $1,898,738

## Abstract

Since 1996, the BU ADC has been a catalyst for research on brain aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD) at the
local and national levels. The BU ADC is an active contributor to all major national AD initiatives through its
contribution of large numbers of samples and standardized clinical data collected from well-characterized
participants. The BU ADC also contributes participants to important national interventional AD clinical trials
including the A4 study. Research supported by the BU ADC has helped to better define normal brain aging and
the transition from normal aging to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to the earliest stages of dementia. In
the current funding cycle, the BU ADC has been a leader for innovative research at the intersection between
brain trauma, aging, and cognitive decline that paved the way for two new major NIH U01 programs on Chronic
Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) based at BUSM. A major focus of BU ADC supported research over the
next funding cycle will be to build on this strong foundation by: (i) differentiating AD and CTE in
prodromal and later stages in aging subjects, and (ii) determining the role of repetitive head injury in
the evolution of AD. The BU ADC is composed of 5 interactive and synergistic cores: Administrative, Clinical,
Neuropathology, Data Management & Statistics, and Outreach and Recruitment, and a Research Education
Component. The BU ADC actively partners with the Alzheimer Association in advancing AD-related research
and the Concussion Legacy Foundation in advancing research on the long-term effects of brain injury. The
overall specific aims of the BU ADC are: 1) to identify, recruit, and thoroughly characterize MCI, AD, CTE, and
control subjects willing to participate in cutting-edge research studies and clinical trials. Research quality MRI,
amyloid and tau PET scans, and CSF collection will be performed on a subset of participants; 2) to collect,
store, analyze, and distribute biological samples from participants for APOE genotyping, DNA banking,
biomarker assays to support high priority AD and CTE research; 3) to conduct state-of the-art diagnostic
neuropathological evaluation and provide high-quality tissue for research on AD, CTE and related conditions;
4) to educate the next generation of research leaders through the Research Education Component and to
foster the professional development of early-stage investigators and innovative AD and CTE related research
through the BU ADC pilot project program; and 5) to collect and store high quality data, ensure data security
and integrity, and provide biostatistical consultation for investigators affiliated with the BU ADC. The
Administrative Core coordinates activities of the BU ADC cores to achieve the above aims and serves as the
interface between internal ADC activities and external entities and ensures that BU ADC activities are
consistent with the NIA ADC program mission. The BU ADC is unique in its research focus on the role of brain
trauma in ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10130051
- **Project number:** 3P30AG013846-23S3
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Neil W. Kowall
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $1,898,738
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1997-07-15 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10130051

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10130051, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center (3P30AG013846-23S3). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10130051. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*