# Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Core Center

> **NIH NIH P30** · ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS · 2020 · $407,889

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19 or 2019-nCoV) emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and then
rapidly spread worldwide. It causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS, with substantial morbidity and
mortality. Little is yet known whether the CNS is involved, but other coronaviruses are known to invade the
brain. There is as yet, however, no published data on the presence or neuropathological consequences of
CNS SARS-CoV-2 in infected humans. This project aims to fill this important knowledge gap.
The Arizona ADCC became the NIA's first statewide AD Center in 2001. Since then, it has established
Clinical and Neuropathology Cores that are world-class resources of longitudinally assessed individuals, and,
together with an extraordinary ancillary Brain and Body Donation Program, annually contribute on average 80
autopsied subjects. In this supplemental application we propose to conduct important studies probing the
extent and consequences of SARS-CoV-2 CNS infection in an estimated 100 or more subjects coming to
autopsy over an 18 month period spanning the global pandemic. The project is supported by an extremely
strong, multidisciplinary team. Specific Aim 1 will determine the prevalence of CNS infection with SARS-CoV-2
in consecutive autopsies, using postmortem nasal swab, postmortem blood serology and assay of multiple
brain regions for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Specific Aim 2 will assess the gene expression effects of brain regional
SARS-CoV-2 infection using RNAseq transcriptomics. Deconvolution analysis will infer gene expression
changes separately for neurons, microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and endothelial cells. Hypothetical
gene expression effects would include those typical for inflammatory responses, cell death and demyelination.
Additionally, this analysis will put SARS-CoV-2 findings into perspective vs other microbial or viral presence as
detected by their specific transcripts, reflecting past pathogen exposure history. Specific Aim 3 will determine
the neuropathological correlates of the findings from Specific Aims 1 and 2, by surveying the brain for typical
viral-associated histopathology including meningitis, encephalitis, microglial nodules, perivascular mononuclear
cell cuffing and demyelination, and by determining with immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization whether
specific cell types are infected. These findings may yield critical clues useful for devising diagnostic and
therapeutic strategies for possible neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and the planned studies provide
an unprecedented opportunity to survey the prevalence and extent of brain invasion by a novel pathogen
during a worldwide pandemic.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10151490
- **Project number:** 3P30AG019610-20S1
- **Recipient organization:** ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY-TEMPE CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** ERIC MICHAEL REIMAN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $407,889
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2001-09-30 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10151490

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10151490, Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (3P30AG019610-20S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-10 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10151490. Licensed CC0.

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