New brain scans and blood tests for small vessel brain disease
Official title: Novel Imaging and Biofluid Biomarkers of Small Vessel Cerebrovascular Disease
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11166308 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests new brain imaging and blood markers to find and track small vessel brain disease in older adults with memory or thinking problems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| 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 29, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,050,008 |
| NIH project number | 5U01NS100608-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11166308 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults who have memory or thinking complaints and signs or risk factors suggesting small vessel cerebrovascular disease.
✕Less likely to help
Younger people without vascular risk factors or anyone without signs of cerebrovascular disease or cognitive complaints are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You would join a group of about 200 older adults with different levels of small vessel brain disease and some memory or thinking complaints and be followed over time. The team will use new MRI-based imaging measures and fluid (blood or other biofluid) biomarkers developed by the MarkVCID consortium. They will collect scans, blood samples, and clinical/cognitive data at repeated visits to see which measures reliably reflect vascular brain damage and change over time. The study will also look at how these vascular biomarkers relate to Alzheimer-type brain changes, to improve diagnosis and help design future treatment trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these tests could help detect small vessel brain disease earlier and give doctors better ways to track progression and test treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Related biomarker work by the MarkVCID network and other teams has shown promise, but this study aims to provide the larger clinical validation that is still needed.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kramer, Joel H — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Kramer, Joel H
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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.