Discussing Alzheimer ’s research on a global stage
In mid-January, I attended the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. This unique event—popularly referred to simply as Davos—connects international leaders in the private and public sectors—from government, business, and academia—to improve the global community. While“economics” is part of the meeting’s name, health, science, and technology were integral to the discussions. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - March 15, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Richard Hodes, Director, National Institute on Aging Source Type: blogs
NIH ’s priorities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias: Let your voice be heard!
Research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) is an important component of the NIA’s mission. In recent years, Congress has provided a significant amount of additional funding beyond our typical appropriation for us to accelerate research on the basic biology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care related to this devastating group of diseases. With this additional funding comes the responsibility to plan and set priorities for the funds’ use. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - March 8, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Samir Sauma, Director of the Office of Planning, Analysis, and Evaluation Source Type: blogs
Don ’t wait! Apply for the Butler-Williams Scholars program today
Are you a post-doc looking for training in aging research? Are you an established researcher who’s new to the area of aging research? Are you junior faculty interested in expanding your career options? If you answered“yes” to any of these questions, then you should apply for the 2017 NIA Butler-Williams Scholars Program. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - March 1, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carl V. Hill, Director, Office of Special Populations Source Type: blogs
Data infrastructure for aging research
Though research on age differences has its place, almost by definition, research on aging involves tracking people over time periods long enough to observe long-term changes in their lives and health. And, accurate measurements of large samples can be an expensive undertaking. The NIA has made major investments to create and maintain data resources that can be used for dozens—and in some cases, hundreds—of analyses, using the tools of the behavioral and social sciences. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - February 22, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: John Haaga, Deputy Director, Division of Behavioral and Social Research Source Type: blogs
NIA encourages new research on decision making
Flip a coin? Roll the dice? Consult an expert? How do you decide?
What happens as we age that may either compromise or strengthen our decision-making capacities? To appreciate how aging affects our ability to make decisions, we need to first understand age-related changes in basic psychological processes involved, including social, cognitive and emotional motivations for decisions. Research providing that knowledge can help us build better interventions to support decision making by older adults including decisions that affect their health. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - February 15, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Lis Nielsen, Chief, Individual Behavioral Processes Branch, Division of Behavioral and Social Research Source Type: blogs
NIA funding line policy for 2017: First draft
The entire U.S. government, including NIA, is currently operating under an extension of a continuing resolution (CR) that will end on April 28…unless it is extended again, that is. A continuing resolution extends the previous year’s appropriations act, and the appropriations language within it, into the next fiscal year. It is usually minimally altered from the terms in the prior year. In other words, at this point in FY 2017, we’re operating with virtually the same budget we had in FY 2016. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - February 8, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Robin Barr, Director of the Division of Extramural Activities Source Type: blogs
From mouse to medicine: Improving preclinical research in Alzheimer ’s disease
Alzheimer’s drug discovery and development is not for the fainthearted. It’s extremely expensive and time-consuming, and the possibility of disappointment looms at every phase of discovery. According to one analysis, half of candidate therapies fail during preclinical research—the phase when important information on feasibility, testing, and drug safety is collected. And, if a promising therapy does advance to a clinical trial, another recent analysis indicates there’s a 98 percent failure rate during phase II and III, primarily due to lack of efficacy. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - February 1, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Lorenzo Refolo, Program Director, Division of Neuroscience Source Type: blogs
An early-warning system for researchers
Researchers often complain to us that new funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) scoot past them, lost in the blizzard of information that arrives daily. Unless you obsessively monitor the NIH Guide—which we’re not necessarily recommending—you may not see every new announcement that NIA publishes. And, unless you have a well-thought-out research proposal outlined and ready to commit to paper, it sometimes can be difficult to pull together a grant application in the time allowed. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - January 25, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Marie A. Bernard, Deputy Director, National Institute on Aging Source Type: blogs
The final stop on this line
Small smiles of satisfaction spread around the staff in my office last week. The NIH Guide published the last of our long-running saga of funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) on Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s-related dementias (ADRD). These were the concepts that the National Advisory Council on Aging approved last September (Thank you again, everyone!). (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - January 18, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Robin Barr, Director of the Division of Extramural Activities Source Type: blogs
Health ABC data now available through NIA website
We are excited to let you know that NIA has a resource for investigators seeking to analyze biomedical data. The Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study began in 1997 and collected data for 17 years on a cohort of older black and white adults living in Memphis and Pittsburgh. Participants were aged 70-79 at baseline. These data are now online on NIA’s website and available to qualified researchers. We invite you to take a look! (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - January 11, 2017 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tamara Harris, Chief, Interdisciplinary Studies of Aging Section Source Type: blogs
New possibilities for research training, small business research
The mighty push for research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias continues at NIA. While an earlier blog highlighted the research initiatives we have published, this chapter covers the more recent publication of two training initiatives and four small business-related initiatives. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - December 21, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Robin Barr, Director of the Division of Extramural Activities Source Type: blogs
Can basic biology shed light on Alzheimer ’s disease (and receive support for trying…)?
As most of you probably know, there has been a big influx of funds for Alzheimer’s disease research, with perhaps more to come. We recently issued several new Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) focused on Alzheimer’s. A burning question in the minds of many scientists is: Can a basic biologist not currently working on Alzheimer’s really expect to receive funds targeted towards Alzheimer’s research? (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - December 14, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Felipe Sierra, Director, Division of Aging Biology Source Type: blogs
Increasing the usability of big data for Alzheimer ’s research
On October 11, 2016, the first manuscript describing a treasure trove of genomic data contributed by members of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership for Alzheimer’s Disease (AMP-AD) Target Discovery and Preclinical Validation Consortium was published in Nature Scientific Data. The publication of the datasets and their description are part of an NIH-wide effort to bring together big data and experts from diverse disciplines to better understand dementia, as well as other chronic conditions. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - December 7, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Suzana Petanceska, Program Director, Division of Neuroscience Source Type: blogs
Certainties and uncertainties about Alzheimer ’s funding
I visited Cleveland over Thanksgiving. In a moment of peace from family conversations, I picked up the local paper. The first story I encountered was a long report on the Health and Retirement Study findings, funded by NIA, showing a substantial decline in U.S. dementia rates in the last 20 years. Then, I encountered a story reporting Eli Lilly’s negative clinical trial results on solanezumab. My immediate conclusion was that, no matter where I go, my job follows me! (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - November 30, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Robin Barr, Director of the Division of Extramural Activities Source Type: blogs
What we ’re doing while we wait…
As many of you know, if you’ve been reading this blog, both the Senate and House appropriations committees separately have passed bills calling for large increases in funds to support research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. In fact, we’ve used that advance information to prepare to receive these funds, should they come our way in final legislation. That’s why we’re in the process of publishing many funding opportunity announcements that will take advantage of these funds, and other funds we will have, once we know our final budget. (Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers)
Source: Inside NIA: A Blog for Researchers - November 16, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Robin Barr, Director of the Division of Extramural Activities Source Type: blogs
