Chemical exposures and Alzheimer's progression
Official title: The Role of Chemical Exposures in Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and its Trajectory
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11170671 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how everyday chemical exposures, the gut microbiome, genes, and blood metabolites relate to Alzheimer's disease in people with or at risk for dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,107,225 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AG088562-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11170671 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults seen in memory clinics, people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's, or volunteers already enrolled in partner diet and lifestyle intervention studies.
✕Less likely to help
People without cognitive concerns, those unable to provide blood or stool samples, or those not near participating research centers are unlikely to join or directly benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers may collect blood and stool samples, genetic information, and brain scans or use records from existing studies to look for metabolic and lipid changes linked to Alzheimer's. The project combines data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, ten Alzheimer's research centers, and diet/lifestyle trials (POINTER, MIND, BEAT-AD) to cover a range of people and interventions. Teams will run advanced metabolomics and lipidomics tests to build a molecular atlas showing how the exposome, diet, and the gut-brain axis affect metabolic changes tied to cognition. Over several years they will track changes across the disease spectrum to identify markers that track or predict progression.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: It could reveal blood or gut markers connected to Alzheimer's risk or progression, which may lead to earlier detection or new prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous ADNI and metabolomics studies have linked blood metabolites and the gut microbiome to Alzheimer's markers, but assembling an exposome-informed molecular atlas is a newer and more comprehensive effort.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima F — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Kaddurah-Daouk, Rima F
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Alzheimer’s disease and related brain changes linked to chemicals in the body
This NIH grant supports a patient-centered effort to map how environmental exposures and body chemistry relate to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
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Understanding how everyday exposures affect Alzheimer's disease progression
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How environment, gut health, and metabolism affect Alzheimer’s disease
This grant looks at how environmental exposures, gut microbes, diet, and metabolism influence Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
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Understanding how chemical exposures affect Alzheimer's disease progression
This project studies how environmental chemicals and other biological factors influence brain health and the course of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
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Understanding how brain hyperexcitability and sex differences affect Alzheimer’s disease
This grant tests whether brain hyperexcitability linked to a genetic risk (APOE4) and sex differences contribute to memory decline in Alzheimer’s disease, using computer simulations and mouse data to guide potential human treatments.
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CNS Exosomes and Adaptive Immunity in Alzheimer’s Disease
This project studies how tiny brain vesicles called exosomes may activate the body's immune system in Alzheimer’s disease, with the goal of understanding mechanisms that could lead to new treatments.
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.