Digital at-home smell-based health checks for early Alzheimer’s disease
Official title: Digital Accessible Remote Olfactory Mediated Health Assessments forPreclinical AD
Funded at Aromha, INC. · NIH-11422352 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A web app and smell test kit lets people test their sense of smell at home to help identify early signs of Alzheimer’s disease before memory symptoms appear.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Aromha, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Potomac, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2018 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,243,304 |
| NIH project number | 5R42AG062130-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11422352 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who are at risk for or in the preclinical or MCI stages of Alzheimer’s disease and who can use a web-based app and home odor test kit.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without risk factors or early signs of Alzheimer’s may not benefit from these at-home tests.
What this research studies
This project provides at-home, self-administered odor identification, memory, and discrimination tests via a web-based app paired with smell cards. It builds on prior work and uses a machine-learning outcome that links test results to brain changes, aiming to scale preclinical screening and speed up trial recruitment. Participants would use the kit remotely, with data contributing to large datasets that could inform future therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. The approach reduces staff and participant burden by moving assessments from clinic to home while maintaining data quality.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could enable earlier identification of individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s and streamline recruitment for preventive trials.
How similar studies have gone: Previous odor-based tests showed deficits in later stages, and this work extends to self-administered, at-home assessment with machine learning to predict cognitive decline.
Where this research is happening
-
Aromha, INC.
Potomac, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reineke, Sean — Aromha, INC.
- Study coordinator: Reineke, Sean
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.