UPenn clinical program for Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementias

Core B: Clinical Core

NIH-funded research University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11184446

A UPenn clinical program that will learn why Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementias progress differently by studying people with these conditions.

Quick facts

Grant typeP01 program project
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionUniversity of Pennsylvania NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Philadelphia, United States)
Project IDNIH-11184446 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, the Clinical Core would enroll people with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies and follow them with regular clinic visits. You may be asked to complete memory and thinking tests, medical exams, brain imaging, and give blood or other samples so researchers can link symptoms to biological features. The team will compare patterns across people to understand how and why the disease spreads in the brain and varies in speed and symptoms. That human-focused approach is intended to point to targets for future treatments to slow or prevent cognitive decline.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Adults diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or Lewy body dementias (including Parkinson's disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies) who can attend clinic visits and consent to tests and sample collection.

Not a fit: People without Alzheimer's or Lewy body-related conditions, or those unable or unwilling to travel for visits or provide samples, are unlikely to benefit directly from participating.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: Could help identify biological processes that drive faster or slower decline, opening the way to treatments that slow or prevent dementia.

How similar studies have performed: Previous clinical and laboratory studies have linked alpha-synuclein and other pathologies to symptom differences, but turning those findings into ways to predict or stop decline is still ongoing.

Where this research is happening

Philadelphia, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Alzheimer disease dementiaAlzheimer syndromeAlzheimer's Disease
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.