Short virtual-reality test of everyday thinking and daily tasks for early Alzheimer's
Official title: Development of a Qualification Plan for the Virtual Reality Functional Capacity Assessment Tool - Short List (VRFCAT-SLx) (DDT COA #000004)
Funded at Critical Path Institute · NIH-11181561 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops a short virtual-reality test to measure everyday thinking and daily tasks in people with early, biomarker-positive Alzheimer's disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Critical Path Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tucson, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $249,962 |
| NIH project number | 5U01FD008424-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181561 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with biomarker-positive early-stage Alzheimer's disease (clinical stages 2 or 3) who can use a VR headset and follow task instructions are the intended candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without Alzheimer's, those with more advanced dementia, or those with severe vision, balance, or VR intolerance issues are unlikely to benefit from participating.
What this research studies
You would try a brief virtual-reality program that recreates everyday tasks (like shopping, cooking, or taking medications) while researchers record how you perform. The team is preparing a Qualification Plan to ask the FDA to recognize the VRFCAT-SLx as an official performance measure of day-to-day functioning in people with biomarker-positive clinical stages 2 and 3 Alzheimer's. They will combine interviews and other qualitative feedback with statistical testing of task scores to show the tool measures real-world abilities reliably and fairly. If you participate, you may be asked to complete VR tasks and answer questions about how realistic and understandable they felt.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If accepted by regulators, this tool could make clinical trials better at showing whether treatments help people keep their everyday thinking and functioning, which may speed development of effective therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Performance-based VR and functional capacity tools have shown promise and VRFCAT already has prior content-validity support and is being further confirmed for regulatory qualification.
Where this research is happening
-
Critical Path Institute
Tucson, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Eremenco, Sonya — Critical Path Institute
- Study coordinator: Eremenco, Sonya
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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.