- ADMINISTRATIVE CORE (CORE A) The overall mission of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) is to provide an infrastructure and resources conducive to conducting cutting-edge extramurally funded research in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders, with a special focus on preclinical biomarkers of AD and their role in predicting transition from preclinical to clinical stages of the disease. The Administrative Core will set overall research directions and priorities, oversee all Core-related activities, ensure optimal utilization of the ADRC resources, and serve as a resource to expand AD and aging research locally, nationally, and beyond. Under the overall scientific and administrative leadership of Sanjay Asthana, MD, the Wisconsin ADRC Director, the Administrative Core will continue to exercise its leadership and accomplish its objectives through the activities of four major committees. The External Advisory Committee, comprised of distinguished leaders in AD research at institutions outside of Wisconsin and with expertise aligned with the scientific missions of the ADRC, provides advice concerning the overall direction and performance of the Center. The Executive Committee, comprised of the ADRC Director, Associate Director, Administrator, Core Leaders, Core Co-Leaders, and Data Leader, meets monthly to discuss the overall function and scientific opportunities for the ADRC, review each Core's progress, and resolve problems within or between Cores. The Resource Distribution Committee, composed of the ADRC Director, Associate Director, Core Leaders, Administrator, and ad hoc reviewers, evaluates all requests for data, access to participants for enrollment in externally funded studies, ante-mortem biospecimens, and postmortem brain tissue, and advises the Center Director and Executive Committee concerning resource utilization priorities. The Administrative Core places strong emphasis on wide utilization of the Wisconsin ADRC resources, but ensures distribution to support only high-quality research while avoiding competing uses for limited biospecimens. The Development Project Review Committee will perform competitive review of all the development projects submitted to the ADRC, prioritizing those from junior investigators with cutting-edge research and a strong likelihood of attracting external funding. Overall, the Administrative Core will continue to exercise scientific leadership and ensure ongoing success and excellence of the Wisconsin ADRC in the renewed cycle of funding
