The 3 overarching goals of the USC Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) are to: 1) Elucidate vascular contributions to Alzheimer disease (AD), 2) catalyze basic, clinical, and translational research in AD at USC, and 3) contribute expertise in vascular disease, biomarkers, and imaging to national collaborative initiatives. The ADRC is led by 3 multiple PD/PIs: Chui, Zlokovic, and Toga and comprised of 6 required cores, the required Research Education Component (REC), and 1 optional imaging core. The Administration Core (Chui, Zlokovic, Toga) provides administrative and scientific oversight across USC ADRC, including fostering development projects and supporting ADRC-affiliated studies. The Clinical Core (Schneider, Ringman, Chui) performs standardized evaluations and diagnoses using the NACC Uniform Data Set (UDS), enrolls and follows participants in our 2 primary ADRC cohorts: Vascular Cohort Study (VCS) and Brain Research Study (BRS). The Data Management and Statistical Core (Toga and Chen) oversees the NACC UDS database, provides study- and core-specific databases and curates our large imaging data sets as a local and national resource. The Neuropathology Core (Miller and Hawes) performs standardized neuropathological examinations, stores and distributes biological tissues to research investigators. The Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core (Aranda) works closely with the Clinical Core to recruit and retain the primary ADRC cohort, focusing on under- represented minority groups (especially Latinx), and the development of a participant-caregiver dyad resource database. The Biomarker Core (Zlokovic) uses state of the art methods to determine cell-and system-specific biomarkers related to the neurovascular unit, as well as to measure standard AD biomarkers. The Imaging Core (Toga and Pa) provides high field (3T and 7T) MR imaging, as well as amyloid/tau PET scans. The Research Education Component (Yassine) is dedicated to mentoring post-doctoral students committed to the study of minority issues in Alzheimer disease and related disorders. The USC Health Science Campus is located near high Latinx catchment areas. Treatable vascular-metabolic risk factors (VMRF) are particularly prevalent among the Latinx population and dovetail with the research focus of the USC ADRC.
Abstract The 3 overarching goals of the USC Alzheimer Disease Research Center (ADRC) are: 1) Elucidate vascular contributions to Alzheimer disease (AD), 2) catalyze basic, clinical, and translational research in AD at USC, and 3) contribute expertise in vascular disease, biomarkers, and imaging to national collaborative initiatives. The ADRC is led by 3 principal investigators: Chui, Zlokovic, and Toga and comprised of 6 required cores, the required Research Education Component (REC), and 1 optional imaging core. The Administration Core provides administrative and scientific oversight across the ADRC, including fostering development projects and supporting ADRC-affiliated studies. The Clinical Core performs standardized evaluations and diagnoses using a standardized database, enrolls and follows participants in the Vascular Cohort Study (VCS) and Brain Research Study (BRS). The Data Management and Statistical Core provides study- and core-specific databases and curates our large imaging data sets as a local and national resource. The Neuropathology Core performs standardized neuropathological examinations, stores and distributes biological tissues to research investigators. The Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core works closely with the Clinical Core to recruit and retain participants in VCS and BRS, especially those from under-represented minority groups, and the development of a participant-caregiver dyad database. The Biomarker Core uses state of the art methods to determine cell-and system-specific biomarkers related to the neurovascular unit, as well as to measure standard AD biomarkers. The Imaging Core provides high field (3T and 7T) MR imaging, as well as amyloid/tau PET scans. The Research Education Component is dedicated to mentoring post-doctoral students committed to the study of under- represented minority issues in Alzheimer disease and related disorders. The USC Health Science Campus is located near high Latinx catchment areas. Treatable vascular-metabolic risk factors are particularly prevalent among the Latinx population and dovetail with the research focus of the USC ADRC.
