# Core B: Biospecimen Core

> **NIH NIH U19** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $246,506

## Abstract

BIOSPECIMEN CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The overarching goal of our “3-D Aging & Alzheimer Brain Program” is to define, using single cell-based
approaches with spatially-resolved transcriptomic and proteomic measurements, the effect of aging and
Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related pathologies on the brain in three dimensions and the relation of these effects
on cognitive decline. Crucial to achieving this goal is consistent access to well-phenotyped, high quality, human
brain tissue that has been consented for broad data sharing. The Biospecimen (BIO) Core will be responsible
for compiling one of the largest collections of tissue across the lifespan and known pathological hallmarks of AD
by continuing prospective collection of comparably phenotyped high quality cases at the University of Edinburgh,
the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the New York Brain Bank (NYBB). The goal of the BIO Core is to link
clinical-pathologic data with contemporary molecular techniques from brain tissue to facilitate innovative
research studies on aging and AD. The BIO core will (1) support each of the four Projects by identifying,
preparing, and distributing the best available samples for each aim, (2) determine the plane of section for each
sample, and (3) assemble standardized outcome measures from each sample. The BIO Core will also support
the innovative methodological development of the Spatial Multiomics (SM) Core through the acquisition and
provision of high-quality molecular grade tissues. In parallel, the harmonized phenotypic data will flow to the
Integrated Computational Analysis (ICA) Core which will align the phenotypes with data for each of the Projects.
A Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), managed by the Administrative Core, will be used to
organize and track all sample characteristics, enabling a structured evaluation of the sample selection and
preparation process to uncover any areas of weakness and identify new quality measures. In summary, the BIO
Core will significantly enhance the quality, annotation, and re-purposability of the data produced by this Program
and its processes and protocols will help guide and enhance improvements in tissue processing for the wider
neurodegenerative disease community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10935934
- **Project number:** 5U19AG074862-02
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Alifiya Kapasi
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $246,506
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-30 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10935934

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10935934, Core B: Biospecimen Core (5U19AG074862-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10935934. Licensed CC0.

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