# Wake Forest Alzheimer's Disease Core Center

> **NIH NIH P30** · WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $2,878,019

## Abstract

Overall – Project Summary
 This application proposes a new Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (ADCC) at Wake Forest School of
Medicine (WFSOM) to provide a comprehensive infrastructure for research on the pathophysiology,
prevention, and treatment of AD. Our Center will provide innovative resources to examine the contributions
of metabolic and vascular factors to early phase transitions from normal aging to MCI and then to AD and
other dementias, through coordinated research spanning the translational spectrum. Wake Forest is
uniquely equipped to rapidly develop a high-impact ADCC because it has: 1) a deep, interdisciplinary
foundation in aging research; 2) specialized expertise in metabolic and vascular factors and their
relationship to cognitive aging and dementia; 3) strong ties to an ethnically diverse community with high
prevalence of dementia and metabolic/vascular disorders; and 4) exceptional institutional support. The
rationale for our theme is based on research showing that metabolic and vascular disorders are highly
prevalent, modifiable factors that contribute to the transitions from normal aging to MCI, AD, and other
dementias. To promote innovative translational research focused on these factors, the ADCC will enroll an
observational multi-ethnic cohort from an existing 15-year study of metabolic/vascular risk, and leverage
their extensive data by adding key endpoints to characterize AD and other dementias. The Clinical Core
will enroll a separate cohort enriched for metabolic/vascular risk, along with participants with AD. The
ADCC will focus on African-American (AA) and other underserved groups who are twice as likely to
develop AD, and have high rates of diabetes and vascular disease. Specialized resources will be available
to ADCC investigators, including non-human primate (NHP) models for translational research. A repository
of human and NHP biospecimens, genetic/epigenetic data, and extensive clinical data will be available to
NACC, NCRAD, and other investigators. The ADCC will also serve as a resource for a broad spectrum of
AD initiatives. Our Specific Aims are to: 1) Establish a comprehensive integrated research infrastructure
focused on phase transitions from normal aging to MCI, AD, and other dementias, and provide special
resources to accelerate research on metabolic and vascular factors; 2) Optimize the participation of AA
adults to better understand the causes underlying their increased risk of AD and dementia; 3) Expand
relationships with the national ADCC network and key affiliates such as NACC and NCRAD; 4) Provide
training in translational research to new investigators, and education regarding AD and dementia to
professionals, patients and families, and the community. The prevalence of metabolic and vascular risk
factors, their importance to AD expression, the strengths of the Wake Forest scientific community in these
research areas, and our outstanding institutional commitment are indicators that NIH funding will be
...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9981566
- **Project number:** 5P30AG049638-05
- **Recipient organization:** WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** SUZANNE CRAFT
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,878,019
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9981566

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9981566, Wake Forest Alzheimer's Disease Core Center (5P30AG049638-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9981566. Licensed CC0.

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