Alzheimer's & Aging

Alzheimer's & Aging

With the graying of the U.S. population, certain diseases take on special urgency as their personal and social costs grow. Preventing or slowing the progress of diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease and osteoarthritis will have a huge impact on the nation’s health and the quality of life of millions of Americans. Understanding normal aging processes is critical to understanding and intervening in these diseases.

Key Initiatives

The Biomarkers Consortium

This groundbreaking initiative expands the science of personalized medicine. The study of biomarkers creates the potential to individualize medical treatment by determining how a drug works in the body and identifying patients likely to respond to targeted medicines and therapies.

Program

Consensus Definition of Clinically Important Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia is common among older adults, resulting in serious consequences such as disability, increased mortality, and negative effects on co-morbid conditions. It is currently unrecognized as a disease state within the healthcare industry because there is a lack of uniform criteria for its diagnosis and severity.

Program

Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) II

The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis affects over 15 million people in the United States. Working in collaboration, the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the and the private sector are striving to improve the efficiency of drug development and clinical trials for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Program

ADNI II: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

As many as 5.3 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease. Today, there is no cure, no disease-modifying treatment, and no way to prevent the disease.

Program

Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging

The Research Partnership in Cognitive Aging is a public-private effort between the National Institute on Aging, the McKnight Brain Research Foundation, and the Foundation for NIH to support current and emerging research on age-related changes in the brain influencing cognition and memory loss associated with normal aging.

Program

Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI)

Osteoarthritis—the most common form of arthritis—is a degenerative joint disease, and the major cause of physical limitations and disability in older people. Today, 35 million people (13 percent of the U.S. population) are 65 and older, and more than half of them have clear evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint. By 2030, 20 percent of Americans (about 70 million people) will have passed their 65th birthday and will be at risk for osteoarthritis.

Past Programs

Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)

First described more than 100 years ago, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has no cure or lasting, effective treatment. Currently, more than 5 million people in the United States suffer from it and its incidence is projected to increase dramatically over the next 20 years.

Past Programs

Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative – Genotyping

The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) is NIH’s largest public-private partnership on brain research.

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