By Kara Murez
HealthDay reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) — A new national Alzheimer’s disease and dementia database could be a game changer for research into the memory-robbing condition that now affects more than 6 million Americans.
Planning has begun to fund the data platform at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). The $300 million grant for the six-year program has been posted online.
The database “aims to transform” the Alzheimer’s research enterprise by “serving as a central hub for research access,” the NIA said recently.
The earliest project start date is April 2024. NIA will provide $50 million annually to fund one award, CNN: reports.
The goal in creating the database is to provide something that can “improve the applicability and generalizability of the findings.” It can be used as a tool for researchers to answer scientific questions more quickly, the NIA said in a release.
“The newly announced NIA funding for a large-scale Alzheimer’s disease research database is truly exciting and a very important advance for our field, and the Alzheimer’s Association will be applying for this grant,” said Alzheimer’s Association Chief Scientific Officer Maria Carrillo. CNN: Tuesday.
“The [Alzheimer’s] The association already leads ALZ-NET, a national network of physicians that collects data, including measures of cognition, function and safety, for patients treated with new FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatments,” Carrillo added. “NIA funding can expand the scope of ALZ-NET to the benefit of all stakeholders.”
An increasing number of people are expected to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the coming years, with an estimated 13.8 million cases predicted by 2060, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias affect memory and thinking skills.
Additional information
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
SOURCE: CNN: