Alzheimer's biomarker and diversity initiative (ADNI4)
Official title: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI4)
Funded at Northern California Institute/res/edu · NIH-11386118 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project collects brain scans, blood, spinal fluid, genetics, and memory tests from people with and without memory problems to improve tests that detect and track Alzheimer's and include more diverse participants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northern California Institute/res/edu NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2004 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $83,280 |
| NIH project number | 3U19AG024904-18S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11386118 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include people with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, or early Alzheimer-type dementia, and individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, including previous ADNI participants.
✕Less likely to help
People who cannot travel to participating clinic sites, decline repeated scans or sample collection, or have medical issues preventing safe participation may not receive direct benefits from joining.
What this research studies
If you join, you'll be asked to come for imaging visits, blood draws, and cognitive testing and some participants may provide cerebrospinal fluid or genetic samples. The team will follow roughly 500 returning participants from ADNI3 and recruit new volunteers with an emphasis on underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. Collected digital data, biospecimens, and imaging will be stored and shared with researchers to link biomarkers to brain changes and memory decline. The program focuses especially on developing blood (plasma) markers and making the data more generalizable for future clinical trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Success could lead to earlier, more reliable tests and better-designed trials that speed development of treatments for more people with Alzheimer's.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier ADNI phases have produced widely used data and directly informed trial designs, including those for aducanumab, so this builds on a successful, well-established program.
Where this research is happening
-
Northern California Institute/res/edu
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Weiner, Michael W — Northern California Institute/res/edu
- Study coordinator: Weiner, Michael W
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.