Advanced informatics for simulating Alzheimer's disease clinical trials
Official title: ACTS (AD Clinical Trial Simulation): Developing Advanced Informatics Approaches for an Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Trial Simulation System
Funded at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville · NIH-11372299 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Mayo Clinic Jacksonville team is building smarter, data-driven ways to model Alzheimer’s trials using real-world patient data to help design better studies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Jacksonville NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Jacksonville, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $993,414 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG084236-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11372299 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias whose data could be used in real-world evidence and simulation studies to optimize trial design.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not directly involved in trials may not experience immediate benefit from this methodological work.
What this research studies
This project focuses on creating an advanced informatics platform that uses real-world data to simulate Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials before they start. By formalizing trial criteria and leveraging electronic health records and claims data, the team aims to test study designs, feasibility, and potential outcomes in a cost- and time-efficient way. The work is led by Cui Tao at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and seeks to improve how future AD/ADRD trials are planned and executed in real-world settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could streamline trial design, improve generalizability to everyday patients, and accelerate bringing effective AD therapies to market.
How similar studies have gone: Previous uses of real-world data for trial design have shown promise in improving feasibility and relevance of trials.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
Jacksonville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tao, Cui — Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
- Study coordinator: Tao, Cui
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Understanding how brain activity changes may drive Alzheimer’s disease progression in a mouse model
Researchers are testing how changes in brain signals and protein cleanup processes affect the development of Alzheimer’s disease in mice.
-
Thiamine-boosting therapy for Alzheimer’s: understanding how benfotiamine may reduce harmful AGE in DP patients
A medication-based approach using high-dose vitamin B1 (benfotiamine) is studied to help people with Alzheimer's by reducing harmful sugar-related molecules.
-
Non-invasive tears biomarker for early Alzheimer's in LMICs
A low-cost, tear-based biomarker approach aims to detect early Alzheimer’s disease in older adults in Peru and similar settings.
-
Turning APOE4 into protective APOE2 or APOE3Christchurch to help with Alzheimer’s
A patient-facing explanation of a treatment idea that aims to change a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in the brain.
-
Telomerase in Alzheimer’s Disease: how aging biology could influence memory and brain health
Researchers are exploring a new brain-aging mechanism linked to telomerase, with potential to slow or modify Alzheimer’s disease in people and improve cognitive function.
-
Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease: Sensory, Motor, and Cognitive Clues
Researchers are testing simple sensory and movement tasks to find early signs of Alzheimer’s disease so they can diagnose and treat people sooner.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.