How blood tests and risk factors differ by sex for Alzheimer's and related dementias
Official title: Sex-specific risk factors and trajectories of blood biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias
Funded at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute · NIH-11402510 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at blood tests (amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration markers) and other risk factors in older men and women to help spot who may develop Alzheimer's or related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $169,669 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG079397-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11402510 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are community-dwelling older adults without a dementia diagnosis who can give blood samples and attend follow-up visits, including both men and women.
✕Less likely to help
People already diagnosed with dementia, those unable to provide blood samples, or those unwilling to attend follow-up visits are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will follow older adults without dementia over time, taking regular blood samples to measure amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration (AT(N)) markers and tracking health, lifestyle, and medical conditions. They will compare how these blood markers change over time in men versus women and how other conditions like heart disease or alcohol use affect interpretation. The team will use this information to build the first sex-specific risk score that combines blood AT(N) biomarkers with known dementia risk factors. That score could help doctors give more personalized prognosis and prevention plans in the future.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lead to sex-tailored blood tests and risk scores that help predict dementia earlier and guide personalized prevention.
How similar studies have gone: Blood amyloid and tau markers have shown promise in research settings, but combining them with sex-specific risk scores in large community studies is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Murray, Anne M — Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Murray, Anne M
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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.