Frontotemporal Dementia: Genes, Images, and Emotions
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11325867 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large NIH grant supports a multi-project program to better understand frontotemporal dementia and move toward new tests and therapies for people affected by FTD and related Alzheimer’s-type conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2002 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $5,669,810 |
| NIH project number | 5P01AG019724-24 |
| Project ID | NIH-11325867 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia or at risk due to family history may be considered for participation, alongside patients undergoing biomarker or imaging studies.
✕Less likely to help
The program focuses on research infrastructure and biomarker discovery; individual patients who do not meet study criteria or who are not in the targeted disease areas may not benefit.
What this research studies
This program project grant (PPG) brings together four research projects and seven cores at UCSF to study FTD from genes and brain imaging to biomarkers and patient care. Researchers will use new lab methods and neuroimaging to map how cognitive and emotional processes change in FTD and will develop scalable tools to predict pathology and monitor disease. They will also pursue plasma-based biomarkers linked to TDP-43 biology and examine caregiver well-being to support patient involvement in trials. The effort aims to reveal why FTD progresses differently across individuals and to align treatment goals with patient needs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to earlier diagnosis, better disease monitoring, and new biomarker-guided therapies for people with FTD and related dementias.
How similar studies have gone: The grant notes a 20-year history of productive collaboration, indicating a track record of progress in this research area.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gorno Tempini, Maria Luisa — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Gorno Tempini, Maria Luisa
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Investigating how DNA damage and repair mechanisms are altered in ALS and frontotemporal dementia.
This study is looking at how problems with DNA repair might contribute to conditions like ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and it’s testing ways to fix these issues in cells from patients to help develop new treatments.
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Exploring how oxidative stress and ferroptosis affect frontotemporal dementia
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Automated language analysis for Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia across Latino and English-speaking groups
A low-cost, automated language study aims to help diagnose and understand Alzheimer’s and FTD in diverse Spanish- and English-speaking communities.
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Automated language analysis to help diagnose Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English speakers
A low-cost, computer-based method analyzes speech and language to help identify Alzheimer’s disease or frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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Automated language analysis for Alzheimer's and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking communities
A low-cost, computer-based language analysis method is being developed to help identify Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia in Latino and English-speaking people.
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.