Outreach and sample collection for Alzheimer’s work in African, African American, and Hispanic/Latinx communities
Core B: Outreach, Ascertainment, and Data Collection
This project gathers health information and blood samples from African, African American, and Hispanic/Latinx people to help improve knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Miami School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Coral Gables, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11125998 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will enroll about 13,000 people across the U.S. and multiple African countries, including roughly 4,000 African Americans, 4,000 Hispanic/Latinx participants, and 5,000 Africans. Participants will provide medical history, undergo memory and thinking tests, and give blood for plasma, RNA, and DNA. Samples and clinical data will be sent to central labs (including the University of Miami) for genetic testing, biomarker studies, and harmonized analysis across sites. The collected materials will support comparisons across ancestries and future whole-genome and expression studies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults of African, African American, or Hispanic/Latinx background, both people with Alzheimer’s/dementia and cognitively normal volunteers, who are willing to complete interviews, cognitive testing, and blood draws are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People who are not in the targeted ancestry groups, are children, or are unwilling to provide clinical information or blood samples may not be eligible and are unlikely to gain direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal genetic and biomarker differences in Alzheimer’s across diverse populations and help make diagnostics and treatments more equitable.
How similar studies have performed: Large-scale genetic and biomarker collections in mainly European-descent groups have produced key Alzheimer’s findings, but this ancestry-focused collection is less common and aims to address that gap.
Where this research is happening
Coral Gables, United States
- University of Miami School of Medicine — Coral Gables, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pericak-Vance, Margaret a. — University of Miami School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Pericak-Vance, Margaret a.
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 below.