Using computer tools to find existing drugs that might help people with Alzheimer's and related dementias
Harnessing Diverse Bioinformatic Approaches To Repurpose Drugs For Alzheimers Disease And Related Dementias
Testing whether computer-matching of existing FDA-approved drugs to brain changes in Alzheimer's can identify medicines that may help people with Alzheimer's and related dementias.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11380101 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will use powerful computer analyses of genes, RNA, and proteins from brains of people with Alzheimer's to find biological pathways involved in the disease. They will search for FDA-approved drugs that affect those pathways and study how lead drugs act in human brain cell types using RNA sequencing, protein studies, and imaging. The team will also apply statistical methods to electronic health records to emulate clinical trial results and prioritize promising drug candidates. Promising leads would be advanced toward further testing that could include clinical studies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, and those willing to share health records or biospecimens for follow-up research, would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: People without Alzheimer's-related pathology or those unwilling to share medical data or samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: May identify already-approved medications that slow or alter Alzheimer's-related biology and speed their testing in patients.
How similar studies have performed: Computational drug-repurposing has produced candidate drugs for Alzheimer's but few have proven effective in clinical trials, so the approach is promising but still largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Albers, Mark W — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Albers, Mark W
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.