# Plasma Phosphorylated-Tau, Neurodegeneration, and Clinical Outcomes

> **NIH NIH F32** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $67,174

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease is a global health crisis that is intensified by the absence of disease
modifying treatments. The failure of past clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease has been due in part to late
initiation of treatment and inaccurate screening for study inclusion. In clinical settings, there are numerous
causes of cognitive decline in aging and treatment and prognosis vary depending on the underlying etiology.
Current methods of screening for Alzheimer’s pathology include cerebrospinal fluid analysis and positron
emission tomography, both of which are not widely accessible. For both the research lab and the clinic,
development of an accessible and accurate early marker of Alzheimer’s pathology is essential. Recent
technological advances in highly sensitive single-molecule array techniques have created the opportunity to
accurately measure phosphorylated tau (p-tau), a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, in the blood.
Plasma p-tau has emerged as a leading blood-based Alzheimer’s biomarker, showing strong correlations with
other markers of Alzheimer’s pathology, distinguishing clinical Alzheimer’s disease from other dementia
subtypes, and accurately predicting post-mortem Alzheimer’s pathology. Plasma p-tau has shown tremendous
potential, yet existing research has largely focused on establishing the sensitivity and specificity of this
biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease; its ability to predict more clinically meaningful longitudinal outcomes
remains in question. The proposed research will examine baseline plasma p-tau in a longitudinal cohort study
of aging as it relates to longitudinal neurodegeneration and clinical outcomes over a 9-year follow-up period.
Highly clinically relevant outcomes were selected, including neurodegeneration, domain-based cognition,
subjective cognitive decline, and functional abilities for activities of daily living, to maximize the potential of this
biomarker being meaningfully integrated into clinical care. The proposed research will leverage the rich
resources of the Vanderbilt Memory & Alzheimer’s Center, Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science,
and the Clinical Neurochemistry Laboratory of Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden. The research will be
guided by an interdisciplinary mentorship team, including experts in geriatric neuropsychology, Alzheimer’s
disease, magnetic resonance imaging, subjective cognitive decline, fluid biomarkers, clinical management of
abnormal cognitive aging, and statistical analysis. The parallel training plan will facilitate the candidate’s
acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills to study blood-based Alzheimer’s biomarkers and propel him
into a successful career as an independent clinician-scientist. Understanding the predictive validity of plasma
p-tau for clinically relevant outcomes would provide essential information that is necessary for the further
development of this biomarker as a tool for clinical trial enroll...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10389666
- **Project number:** 1F32AG076276-01
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Corey Bolton
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $67,174
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10389666

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10389666, Plasma Phosphorylated-Tau, Neurodegeneration, and Clinical Outcomes (1F32AG076276-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10389666. Licensed CC0.

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