# South Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Center Biomarker Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER · 2021 · $102,467

## Abstract

Biomarkers permit a deeper understanding of biology, improve risk prediction, diagnosis and prognostication at
pre-clinical and clinical stages of Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders (ADRD). The overall goals of the
Biomarker core (BC) are two-fold: (1) To provide ante-mortem biobanking services for STAC, that is to
collect and store biospecimens for all persons enrolled in the Clinical Core (patients, care partners and
controls), an estimated 265/year at their initial and annual follow-up visits, and similarly collect and store
biospecimens for persons not enrolled in the CC but referred by another STAC core (e.g. population core study
enrollees, clinical trial patients, brain bank donors) and working with the Data, Statistical Management and
Administrative Cores catalog, track and share these samples. (2) To identify biomarkers for detecting
preclinical ADRD, for risk prediction of progression to MCI and ADRD dementia, and for differential diagnosis
and identifying subtypes of ADRD MCI and dementia. The BC is led by Xianlin Han, PhD, a leader in AD
metabolomics/lipomics and Mini Jacob, MD, PhD, studying sensory-motor biomarkers in ADRD. We have
added Co-I Sara Espinoza, MD, a senior geriatrician who is Director of the GRECC and Pepper Center Clinical
Core. To achieve these goals: Firstly, we will collect, process, store, share and track biospecimens
(serum, plasma, peripheral blood monocytes, DNA, RNA, CSF and saliva or stool when indicated), as well as
non-invasive sensorimotor measures from individuals and link to their clinical, imaging, genomic and
neuropathologic data. We will use the latest biochemical and molecular methods and apply best practice
procedures. Secondly, we will validate or identify biomarkers among the Hispanic population by
collaborating with the CC, PNC, GMC, IC and NPC to correlate the markers with clinical diagnoses, course of
disease, imaging and neuropathology. We will make these data publicly available by submitting samples and
curated data to repositories such as NACC, NCRAD and NIAGADS. Thirdly, we will identify novel CSF and
plasma metabolic biomarkers in individuals with Suspected Non-Alzheimer Pathophysiology (SNAP)
with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In collaboration with the CC, PNC and IC we will identify
individuals with SNAP with and without T2DM (300-400 in total, half T2DM at rate of ~80/year), identify plasma
metabolic biomarkers distinguishing between classical biomarker-defined AD (A+/T+/N+) and SNAP in persons
with and without T2DM. We expect to find a unique biomarker and metabolic signature in SNAP compared to
AD and in SNAP with T2DM that will help us better understand the biology of SNAP and may help with
diagnosis and treatment. In summary, BC will collect and share biospecimens, and generate and share
extensive biomarker data in Hispanics to establish a unique resource for understanding the heterogeneity of
ADRD in South Texas and for development of AD personalized treatments.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10270726
- **Project number:** 1P30AG066546-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCIENCE CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Xianlin Han
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $102,467
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10270726

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10270726, South Texas Alzheimer’s Disease Center Biomarker Core (1P30AG066546-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10270726. Licensed CC0.

---

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