Multiple Etiology Dementias: Develop differential AD/ADRD diagnosis (Milestone 9.L)

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Success Criteria

• At least one human tissue-, sample-, and data-based translational study, with deep phenotyping of pathologies and co-morbidities, to develop and validate multimodal clinically useful biomarkers, including in diverse populations, to understand AD/ADRD risk and outcomes.  

Summary of Key Accomplishments

NIH-funded researchers are developing a variety of tools for diagnosing dementia, including a tablet-based screening tool for early dementia screening in primary care and sensitive blood tests that can discriminate between different AD/ADRDs. Regarding the economics of differential diagnosis, the pharmaceutical company Biogen sponsored an informative literature review that concluded the social and informal costs of dementia care far outweigh the direct healthcare costs associated with differential diagnosis of ADRDs.

The key accomplishments summary is current as of July 2022.  

Accomplishments/Implementation Activities

Funding Initiatives

• PAS-17-028: Common Mechanisms and Interactions Among Neurodegenerative Diseases (R01)
• RFA-NS-19-014: Center without Walls for PET Ligand Development for Alzheimer's disease related dementias (ADRDs) (U19)

Research Programs and Resources

• Center without Walls for PET Ligand Development for Alzheimer's disease related dementias (ADRDs) (U19)
• DetectCID: Consortium for Detecting Cognitive Impairment, including Dementia
• Skin biomarkers for diagnosing and characterizing AD and ADRD
• Select projects funded in FY22

Relevant Recommendations

• 2016 ADRD Summit: Multiple Etiology Dementias (MED) Focus Area 1: Improved Diagnostic Skills in the Community, Recommendation 2
• 2022 ADRD Summit: Multiple Etiology Dementias (MED) Milestone 3, Priority 1

Related Milestones