Alzheimer’s disease research collaboration in Africa to build precision medicine resources
Official title: Leading expandable research in Alzheimer's disease in Africa (LEAD Africa)
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11599550 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A multi-country project in Africa and the U.S. aims to create accessible, scalable ways to study Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias using new data and local infrastructure.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $78,188 |
| NIH project number | 3UG3AG090672-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11599550 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants include older adults in Africa who are at risk for or living with AD/ADRD and who can contribute data or samples.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without access to the local research sites or who decline participation may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project seeks to build an AD/ADRD research framework in Africa that can be implemented in low-resource settings. It plans to use smartphones and point-of-care blood methods to collect data and samples, enabling scalable research across diverse African populations. The effort is a collaboration between Ghana, Tanzania, Congo-Kinshasa, and Boston University to establish sustainable research capacity over a 2-year exploratory phase and beyond.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients in Africa could benefit from faster, more inclusive precision medicine approaches for AD/ADRD.
How similar studies have gone: This approach builds on global AD/ADRD efforts but emphasizes scalable, field-friendly methods in Africa, which is relatively novel for large-scale precision medicine in this setting.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Au, Rhoda — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Au, Rhoda
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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.