Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC)
The Alzheimer's Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) is a clinical trials infrastructure launched in December, 2017 and designed to accelerate and expand studies for therapies in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. ACTC's mission is to provide an optimal infrastructure, utilizing centralized resources and shared expertise, to accelerate the development of effective interventions for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.
The ACTC is jointly led by:
- Paul Stephen Aisen, M.D., director of the ATRI at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, San Diego
- Reisa A. Sperling, M.D., director of the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston
- Ronald C. Petersen, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, professor of Neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota
The ACTC is a cooperative agreement between the NIA and the grantees institutions. The NIA Project Scientist for the ACTC is Laurie Ryan.
Pre-Application Process
Working with the ACTC is a cooperative venture between the applicant, NIA, and the ACTC network. Prior to applying to the ACTC R01 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PAR-20-309), prospective applicants should follow the "How to Apply" information on the ACTC website.
There are three proposal submission deadlines every year (April, August, and October). Deadlines are posted on the ACTC website. Applications are welcome from investigators in the pharmaceutical industry or academia, with a focus on pharmacological and/or non-pharmacological interventions. Studies may be Phase Ib, II or Phase III.
- Step 1: Review the NIH Notice of Funding Opportunity. We strongly encourage that all applicants contact NIA program staff (listed below) in the early planning phases of any study to discuss the feasibility of conducting the proposed trial through the ACTC infrastructure.
- Step 2: Download the study concept proposal and synopsis forms from the ACTC website.
- Step 3: – Submit the ACTC Clinical Study Concept Proposal Form and Synopsis Form to the ACTC Program Administrator.
- Applicants must submit an ACTC Clinical Study Concept Proposal. This proposal includes the specific aims for the study, relevant preliminary data, and study design.
- The proposal will be reviewed first by the Protocol Evaluation Committee, and if allowed to move forward, will be voted on by the ACTC Steering Committee. The NIA project scientist is part of these committees.
- If you have any questions at all, please contact the ACTC Program Administrator, Sarah Walter
- Step 4: Apply to the Notice of Funding Opportunity. (Note: Approval by the ACTC Steering Committee does not guarantee NIA funding.) If your proposal is approved by the ACTC steering committee, you may then formally apply to the ACTC R01 Notice of Funding Opportunity (PAR-20-309) in collaboration with the ACTC Coordinating Center. Your application will then undergo NIH peer review and will receive an impact score. Applications will be funded based on score and NIA funding priorities.
- Applications that exceed $500,000 in direct costs in any one year require prior approval before submission (NOT-OD-02-004). The applicant will need to contact NIA program staff, and any requests for submission must be received at least six weeks prior to the submission deadline.
ACTC Steering Committee Sites
The ACTC network consists of 35 sites in 24 states:
| ACTC Network Site | Principal Investigator | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Alzheimer's Institute | David Weidman, MD | Phoenix | AZ |
| Banner Sun Health Research Institute (SHRI) | Alireza Atri, MD, PhD | Sun City | AZ |
| Brigham and Women's Hospital | Gad Marshall, MD | Boston | MA |
| Butler Hospital Memory and Aging Center | Stephen Salloway, MD | Providence | RI |
| Case Western Reserve University | Alan Lerner, MD | Beachwood | OH |
| Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health | Justin Miller, PhD | Las Vegas | NV |
| Columbia University Medical Center | Karen Bell, MD | New York | NY |
| Emory University School of Medicine | Ihab Hajjar, MD, MS | Atlanta | GA |
| Georgetown University | Raymond Scott Turner, MD, PhD | Washington | DC |
| Howard University | Thomas Obisesan, MD, MPH | Washington | DC |
| Indiana University | Martin Farlow, MD | Indianapolis | IN |
| Johns Hopkins University | Paul Rosenberg, MD | Baltimore | MD |
| Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville | Neil Graff-Radford, MD | Jacksonville | FL |
| Mayo Clinic, Rochester | Jonathan Graff-Radford, MD | Rochester | MN |
| Mount Sinai School of Medicine | Mary Sano, PhD | New York | NY |
| Oregon Health & Science University | Aimee Pierce, MD | Portland | OR |
| Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center | Jacobo Mintzer, MD | Charleston | SC |
| Rush University Medical Center | Neelum Aggarwal, MD | Chicago | IL |
| Stanford University | Victor Henderson, MD, MS | Palo Alto | CA |
| UC Davis | John Olichney, MD | Davis | CA |
| UC Irvine | David Sultzer, MD | Irvine | CA |
| UC San Francisco | Adam Boxer, MD, PhD | San Francisco | CA |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | David Geldmacher, MD | Birmingham | AL |
| University of Kansas | Jeffrey Burns, MD, MS | Kansas City | KS |
| University of Kentucky | Gregory Jicha, MD, PhD | Lexington | KY |
| University of Michigan | Judith Heidebrink, MD, MS | Ann Arbor | MI |
| University of Pennsylvania | Jason Karlawish, MD | Philadelphia | PA |
| University of Pittsburgh | Oscar Lopez, MD | Pittsburgh | PA |
| University of Rochester | Anton Porsteinsson, MD | Rochester | NY |
| University of South Florida / Byrd Institute | Amanda Smith, MD | Tampa | FL |
| University of Southern California | Lon Schneider, MD | Los Angeles | CA |
| University of Washington (SIBCR) | Elaine Peskind, MD | Seattle | WA |
| Wake Forest School of Medicine | Suzanne Craft, PhD | Winston-Salem | NC |
| Washington University in St. Louis | Joy Snider, MD, PhD | Saint Louis | MO |
| Yale University | Christopher van Dyck, MD | New Haven | CT |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ACTC the only means by which NIA funds Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementias (AD/ADRD) clinical trials?
No, the ACTC is limited in its capacity to 5-7 trials during the five-year award period. Furthermore, not every trial is appropriate for this consortium. NIA has a long-standing history of funding pharmacological and non-pharmacological AD/ADRD clinical trials through several other means, and will continue to do so:
- Early and Late Stage Clinical Trials for the Spectrum of Alzheimer's Disease/Alzheimer's Related Dementias and Age-Related Cognitive Decline (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-21-359)
- Pilot Studies for the Spectrum of Alzheimer's Disease/Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias and Age-Related Cognitive Decline (R61 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-21-360)
Do I need to plan my study to use all 35 of the ACTC sites?
No, not every study will use all the sites. The number and choice of sites should be tailored to the specific project being proposed.
Can I propose sites for my study in addition to the ACTC sites?
Yes, you may propose additional sites if there is scientific or practical rationale for doing so.
Program Contacts
NIA Project Scientist (Pharmacological Interventions):
Laurie Ryan, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-9350
Email Laurie Ryan
NIA Program Officer (Non-Pharmacological Interventions):
Kristina McLinden, Ph.D.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Telephone: 301-496-9350
Email Kristina McLinden
