# Core F: Biomarker Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2021 · $376,295

## Abstract

Biomarkers provide important information for early detection, differential diagnosis, and disease monitoring of
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementias (ADRDs), including chronic traumatic encephalopathy
(CTE). The newly established Biomarker Core of the Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
(BU ADRC) will be led by three clinician-scientists with experience in biomarker development and validation: Lee
Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D. and Wendy Qiu, M.D., Ph.D., who will serve as co-leaders, and Ronald Killiany, Ph.D.,
who will lead the neuroimaging component. The Biomarker Core will leverage their expertise and existing
institutional resources to focus on fluid biospecimen and neuroimaging biomarkers relevant to Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD), including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The goal of the
Biomarker Core is to collaborate with other cores and centralize biomarker initiatives to support the BU ADRC
mission to improve early and accurate diagnosis, differentiation, and monitoring of AD and ADRDs, including
CTE. The new Biomarker Core will bank, distribute, and analyze fluid biospecimens and neuroimaging data for
shared use by investigators within and outside the BU ADRC and allied national consortia. We will focus on
established biofluid and neuroimaging biomarkers (Amyloid-Tau-Neurodegeneration A/T/N NIA-AA Research
Framework) with the goal of identifying differences between AD and ADRDs. The Core will also conduct
discovery-based development of novel emerging biofluid and neuroimaging biomarkers to enable earlier and
more accurate detection, differential diagnosis, staging, and tracking of AD and ADRDs across the disease
spectrum. Four Specific Aims are proposed. Aim 1: Process, bank, and distribute fluid biospecimens and
neuroimaging data. Aim 2: Measure and analyze established biomarkers (A/T/N NIA-AA Research Framework).
Aim 3: Conduct discovery and development of emerging biomarkers, including analysis of blood-derived
exosomes and multimodal computational strategies for neuroimaging data. Aim 4: Train next-generation AD
biomarker and neuroimaging research leaders. We anticipate that the new Biomarker Core will strengthen BU
ADRC research, promote sharing of fluid and neuroimaging biomarker resources, harmonize with efforts to
advance national AD/ADRD initiatives, and provide new new insights and biometrics for personalized medicine
approaches to diagnose, treat, and prevent AD and ADRD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10264293
- **Project number:** 1P30AG072978-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** LEE E. GOLDSTEIN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $376,295
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10264293

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10264293, Core F: Biomarker Core (1P30AG072978-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10264293. Licensed CC0.

---

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