# Proteomic markers of risk for cognitive impairment in people with type 2 diabetes

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $326,797

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Type 2 diabetes increases a person’s risk for cognitive impairment syndromes including, cognitive
decline, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease and its related dementias. However, our ability to
identify who among people living with type 2 diabetes is most likely to develop a cognitive impairment syndrome
is limited because we have an incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms that lead to cognitive
issues in people with type 2 diabetes. A better understanding of these molecular mechanisms can help to identify
biomarkers that predict risk for cognitive impairment syndromes.
 Proteomic analyses provide an efficient and comprehensive approach to identifying molecular
mechanisms of disease and are also recognized as an effective platform for biomarker discovery. However, to
date, few human studies have applied proteomic approaches to investigate the mechanisms that drive
development of cognitive impairment syndromes in people living with type 2 diabetes. Thus, additional proteomic
studies are critically needed to illuminate the underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairment syndromes in
people with type 2 diabetes, so to identify proteins that can be used as biomarkers of risk.
 The overarching goal of this pilot project is to use proteomic analyses to examine differences in plasma
proteins and protein networks in people with type 2 diabetes, who do and do not develop mild cognitive
impairment, as a first step toward identifying potential risk biomarkers for cognitive impairment syndromes in
people with type 2 diabetes. First, to achieve this goal, our primary aim is to identify proteins associated with
newly diagnosed mild cognitive impairment in people with type 2 diabetes (Aim 1). Additionally, we aim to provide
further depth to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the underlying neuropathology of mild
cognitive impairment in people with type 2 diabetes. Thus, we will determine whether proteins associated with
mild cognitive impairment in Aim 1 also relate to preclinical plasma-based biomarkers of neurodegenerative
disease and Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology in people with type 2 diabetes (Aim 2).
 Results from this pilot study will reveal potential mechanisms by which people with type 2 diabetes
develop cognitive impairment syndromes. Thus, providing important insights that could inform use of plasma-
derived protein biomarkers for risk stratification of people with type 2 diabetes, and possible protein targets for
development of novel therapeutics and treatment strategies to mitigate risk of cognitive impairment syndromes
in people with type 2 diabetes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10951176
- **Project number:** 1R03AG088803-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Allison Livia Buti Shapiro
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $326,797
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-01 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10951176

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10951176, Proteomic markers of risk for cognitive impairment in people with type 2 diabetes (1R03AG088803-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10951176. Licensed CC0.

---

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