Proteomic signatures linking delirium, aging, and Alzheimer's risk
Official title: AD/ADRD and biological aging proteomic signatures in the etiopathology of delirium and its associated long-term cognitive decline
Funded at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · NIH-11238069 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The team looks for blood protein patterns that predict which older adults may get sudden confusion after surgery and which people later have lasting memory decline or dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2015 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $846,502 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG051658-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238069 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are older adults scheduled for major elective surgery who can give blood before and after surgery and agree to follow-up cognitive testing.
✕Less likely to help
Younger people, those not undergoing surgery, or individuals whose cognitive problems have non-AD causes would be unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
From the patient's point of view, researchers will use blood samples taken before and after elective surgery to compare people who do and do not develop delirium. They will measure many proteins (a proteomics approach) and connect those patterns to markers of biological aging and Alzheimer's disease risk. The work builds on prior SAGES studies that found inflammation and neuronal-injury proteins linked to delirium. The goal is to find pre-surgery signals that identify patients at higher risk and to understand how delirium relates to longer-term cognitive decline.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let clinicians identify older surgical patients at high risk for delirium and later memory problems so they can try preventive care or targeted treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier SAGES work has already found and validated protein signatures linked to delirium, so this project builds on promising prior findings rather than starting from scratch.
Where this research is happening
-
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marcantonio, Edward R — Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Marcantonio, Edward R
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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.