Peripheral immune signals and blood vessel health in aging and dementia
Official title: Peripheral immunity and the aging brain: Studying the relationship of platelet and neutrophil activity with markers of vascular contributions to cognitive decline and dementia
Funded at New York University School of Medicine · NIH-11413466 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how platelet and neutrophil activity relate to brain changes and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, especially those at higher cardiovascular risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,547,425 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG092953-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11413466 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults at risk for dementia or with elevated cardiovascular risk, including diverse populations from cohorts like Framingham and ARISE-DP.
✕Less likely to help
People without risk factors or dementia pathology may not see a direct benefit.
What this research studies
If funded, researchers will study blood markers of vascular and immune function alongside brain imaging to understand how blood vessel health and inflammation influence Alzheimer’s disease progression. They will use data from the Framingham Heart Study and the ARISE-DP cohort to examine how platelet activity, neutrophil levels, and proteomic data relate to MRI and PET biomarkers of vascular burden, amyloid, and tau. The goal is to clarify how vascular problems and immune signals combine to affect dementia risk in diverse populations. This work could help identify which patients might benefit most from interventions targeting vascular health and inflammation. The study emphasizes collaboration across specialties and advanced imaging and biofluid analyses to map these complex relationships.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of who is at risk and how vascular and immune factors contribute to dementia could guide prevention and treatment strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows associations between vascular/inflammatory markers and AD biomarkers, supporting potential validity of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
New York University School of Medicine
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ramos-Cejudo, Jaime — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Ramos-Cejudo, Jaime
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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.