The newly reconfigured Neuropathology and Molecular Genetics (NPMG) Core of the UCLA AIzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) will perform autopsies and genetic studies on patients with neurodegenerative diseases (and appropriate controls) and will serve as a tissue/fluid and DNA resource for individuals performing innovative research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) and non-AD dementias.
The specific aims of the Core are to carry out comprehensive postmortem examinations; harvest and store relevant tissues and fluids; assess lesions semi-quantitatively using special stains and immunohistochemistry; provide definitive diagnoses; prepare tissue microarrays for protein expression studies; expand the genetic resource to include apolipoprotein E (apoE) determinations, DNA storage, and preparation of cDNA on patients with known or suspected mutations; and support other Cores and Projects. Project 2 will use brain tissue from the NPMG Core. The autopsy and tissue harvesting/sampling method has evolved and been optimized in conjunction with interactions with the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center (NACC). Genetic and autopsy information will be maintained in the ADRC database and transmitted to the ARCC database. The Core has performed comprehensive autopsies on 98 patients characterized in Clinical Core; and supplies tissue to investigators locally and nationally. NPMG Core interacts with Clinical Core to provide autopsy confirmation of clinical diagnoses; with Imaging Core to supply autopsy confirmed diagnoses with patients studied in neuroimaging; with the Data Management and Statistics Core through the ADRC database; with the Education/Information Transfer Core through monthly clinicopathological conferences and other educational activities. NPMG Core accomplished its specific aims in the past funding period and has added innovative new technologies such as the """"""""molecular autopsy"""""""" approach involving routine use of microarray techniques to study gene and protein expression in appropriate autopsy cases.
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