# Open Drug Discovery Center for Alzheimer's Disease

> **NIH NIH U54** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $2,319,766

## Abstract

SUMMARY
To address challenges of the anticipated diversity of target classes for AD drug discovery, the Open-AD Assay
Development and High Throughput Screening (HTS) Core (Assay and Screen Core) has established an
innovative operational structure that harnesses a wide range of expertise and capabilities for AD target
evaluation and chemical probe discovery from both public and private sectors. The Core will be organized with
an operational hub at Emory University and spokes of expanded capabilities with world-leading Associated
Partners, who will contribute specialized assays, screens, and libraries. Associated Partners include Baylor
College of Medicine with highly efficient Drosophila models, the University of Washington with human iPSC-
based assays for target validation, the Diamond Synchrotron for fragment-based screens, the Structural
Genomics Consortium (SGC) for rich experience in diverse assays and screens, Charles River Laboratories with
its diversity libraries for HTS and pharmacology, X-Chem with its unique DNA-encoded libraries, Alzheimer’s
Research UK Oxford Drug Discovery Institute for a suite of cell-based functional assays for chemical probe
characterization, the University of Pittsburgh with AD animal models for in vivo target engagement and efficacy
studies, and Eli Lilly for their expertise in AD targets and drug development. With our combined complementary
expertise and capabilities and integrated operation with Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, MedChem, and Admin
and Data Cores, we will support the overarching goal of Open-AD by creating experimental reagents and
validated hits to populate Target Enabling Packages (TEPs) for each prioritized target in order to catalyze robust
evaluation of a diverse set of therapeutic hypotheses. The Assay and Screen Core aims (i) to provide
experimental validation for nominated targets followed by development of primary and secondary assays to
enable hit discovery, (ii) implement HTS and high content screening (HCS) campaigns for prioritized targets to
discover validated hits, and (iii) to develop and utilize functional assays for chemical probe characterization. Over
the 5-year project, completion of these aims will generate experimental evidence for up to 100 nominated targets,
advance 50 targets for development of assay packages, execute 30 HTS or HCS campaigns for hit discovery,
and deliver validated hit series for 15 targets to Open-AD. For each target, all reagents and tools will be released
as TEPs to the scientific community.
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## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10692636
- **Project number:** 5U54AG065187-05
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** ALLAN I LEVEY
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $2,319,766
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10692636

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10692636, Open Drug Discovery Center for Alzheimer's Disease (5U54AG065187-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10692636. Licensed CC0.

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