Penn Medicine researchers receive $12.6 million NIH grant to study genetics of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are part of a five-university collaboration receiving a $12.6 million, four-year grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to identify rare genetic variants that may either protect against or contribute to Alzheimer’s disease risk.

The Consortium for Alzheimer’s Sequence Analysis (CASA) investigators will analyze whole exome and whole genome sequence data generated during the first phase of the NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Program, an innovative collaboration that began in 2012 between the NIA and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).

“By identifying additional Alzheimer’s-related genes, the CASA team aims to find new therapeutic targets that will reduce the economic and human burden caused by this disease,” says Gerard D. Schellenberg, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. “This is an exciting opportunity to apply new technologies to improve our understanding of the biological pathways underlying this devastating disease.”

This effort is critical to accomplishing the genetic research goals outlined in the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease, first announced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in May 2012 and updated annually. Developed under the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, the plan provides a framework for a coordinated and concentrated effort in research, care, and services for Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Its primary research goal is to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. Learn more about this research.