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From: NIA Listmanager [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 09:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: NIA NEWS: Early Results from Alzheimer's Neuroimaging Biomarker
Project Show Promise for Faster Study of Therapies
NIA NEWS RELEASE
June 10, 2007
ADNI Database Now Available to Researchers Worldwide
Alzheimer's disease researchers may be able to reduce the time and
expense associated with clinical trials, according to early results from the
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a public-private research
partnership organized by the National Institutes of Health. Preliminary results
from ADNI show how it might yield improved methods and uniform standards for
imaging and biomarker analysis, so these techniques can be employed in the fight
against Alzheimer's disease.
These first findings will be presented at the Alzheimer's Association
International Conference on the Prevention of Dementia being held in Washington,
D.C., June 9-12.
The ADNI study observes and tracks changes in normal individuals, in
people with mild cognitive impairment -- a condition which often precedes
Alzheimer's -- and in people with Alzheimer's. Researchers will use PET
(positron emission tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to
track changes in the brain, laboratory analyses of cerebrospinal fluid and blood
to study biomarkers, and clinical interviews to track cognitive performance over
time. ADNI is expected to improve neuroimaging and biomarker measures and
consequently allow faster and more efficient evaluation of potential therapies
for Alzheimer's.
The $60 million, five-year study began recruiting in early 2006, and
today about 800 older people at 58 sites in the United States and Canada
participate in the effort. The project is supported primarily by the National
Institute on Aging (NIA), a component of NIH, with private sector support from
pharmaceutical companies, other organizations and the Alzheimer's Association
through the Foundation for NIH. In addition to NIA, other federal partners are
the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, also part of
NIH, and the Food and Drug Administration.
"New treatment options are urgently needed for the millions of people
who have Alzheimer's and for those at risk as the population ages," says Richard
J. Hodes, M.D., Director of the NIA. "This preliminary report on aspects of ADNI
is quite encouraging."
ADNI principal investigator Michael Weiner, M.D., of the Department of
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, is
scheduled to give a progress report and describe the new ADNI database during
the conference. Nine other ADNI researchers will also give reports on early
results and preliminary findings from various studies including:
* Predicting Alzheimer's -- A University of California, San Diego,
study found that analyses of MRI and PET images could detect early changes in
cerebral cortex thickness in brains of people with mild cognitive impairment
over a six month period. Further study, the researchers said, would be needed to
see if the changes, with other brain measures, could predict conversion from
mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's.
* Validating PET scans -- A study reported by scientists at the
Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, Ariz., and colleagues compared changes
over time in PET scans of glucose metabolism in people with normal cognition,
mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's. The study found that scans correlated
with symptoms of each condition and that images from different clinical sites
were comparable (or consistent). This study suggests the validity of PET scans
for use in future clinical trials.
* MRI Reliability -- A Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., study found
that a standard anatomical model of a brain can be used successfully to monitor
performance of MRI scanners at many different clinical sites. This will ensure
accuracy of the MRI images produced from ADNI volunteers using 80 MRI scanners
from scores of sites over five years.
* Biomarker Analysis -- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,
scientists and colleagues compared analyses of cerebrospinal fluid samples among
seven laboratories. The study evaluated differences within and among the labs'
performance. This study will ensure that methods for measuring biomarkers are
accurate and comparable across laboratories.
An important achievement of ADNI is the creation of a publicly
accessible database available to qualified researchers worldwide. The database
contains thousands of MRI and PET scan brain images and clinical data and will
include biomarker data obtained through blood and cerebrospinal fluid analyses.
ADNI includes samples and brain scans from 200 people with Alzheimer's, 400
people with mild cognitive impairment and 200 healthy people. All volunteers are
between ages 55 and 90. Confidentiality of the participants is rigorously
protected.
"The database gives ADNI researchers easy access to a huge body of data.
But its added value is its design as an international research resource,
available worldwide to other researchers interested in neurodegenerative
disease," says Susan Molchan, M.D., NIA's program director for ADNI.
To date, more than 200 researchers have signed up for database access.
Investigators may apply for access to ADNI data through the database Web site,
www.loni.ucla.edu/ADNI. In addition, qualified scientists may also ask for
access to the cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples. An application form is
available under the "Scientist Home Page" link at www.adni-info.org/.
Partnership with private-sector funders is managed through the
not-for-profit Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, established by
the U.S. Congress to support NIH's mission by facilitating private-sector
organizations' support of and involvement with NIH programs. Corporate and
non-profit participants are: Pfizer Inc; Wyeth Research; Bristol-Myers Squibb;
Eli Lilly and Company; GlaxoSmithKline; Merck & Co., Inc.; AstraZeneca AB;
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Eisai Global Clinical Development; the
Alzheimer's Association; Elan Corporation, plc; Innogenetics; GE Healthcare; and
the Institute for the Study of Aging. More information on the Foundation for NIH
is available at: www.fnih.org <http://www.fnih.org/> .
NIA leads the federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging
and the medical, social and behavioral issues of older people, including
Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline. For information on
dementia and aging, please visit NIA's Alzheimer's Disease Education and
Referral Center at www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers, or call 1-800-438-4380. For more
general information on research and aging, go to www.nia.nih.gov
<http://www.nia.nih.gov/> .
NIH -- the nation's medical research agency -- includes 27 institutes
and centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes,
treatments and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information
about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov <http://www.nih.gov/> .
The Alzheimer's Association is the first and largest voluntary health
organization for Alzheimer's disease. The association provides information and
care consultation; offers services for families; funds research; and is a leader
in public policy regarding the disease. For more information, visit www.alz.org
<http://www.alz.org/> .
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