UW-Madison Gets $150M Grant for National Dementia Study 

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will lead a nationwide study to better understand and study Alzheimer’s disease after receiving a $150 million grant.

The UW-School of Medicine and Public Health netted the grant from the National Institutes of Health as part of a national research push to investigate the neurobiology of Alzheimer’s and related dementia forms, according to the university.

The study – known as the Clarity in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Through Imaging (CLARiTI) – will span five years and aim to offer new glimpses into the imaging and biomarkers for researchers to study.The study’s researchers also hope to push forward the understanding of mixed dementia, a condition in which multiple neurological diseases contribute to overall dementia diagnoses.

This is important to analyze the root causes of dementia, and study leader and UW-Madison Professor Sterling Johnson said the effort represents a “significant milestone” for dementia research.

“By collaborating across our Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers network, we can shed light on the complex interplay of multiple pathologies contributing to dementia, ultimately advancing our understanding and treatment of this devastating condition,” Johnson said in a statement.

The study will be undertaken at all 37 of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers in the U.S. and aims to build a set of standardized tests of blood plasma to monitor proteins that are the tell-tale signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Collectively, more than 17,000 participants are involved in research across the country’s research centers that represents the largest group in the U.S, and help track results along the way.

“This collaboration addresses a critical research gap while also building a bridge to future uniform blood-biomarker characterization in the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers, expanding the reach and impact of these research centers,” Johnson said

In the latest round of research, the CLARiTI study will add 2,000 participants at locations nationwide collecting a battery of tests that will help researchers track clinical diagnoses, genetics and participants’ symptoms.