An official website of the United States government
Support the development of standardized, cost-effective, high throughput methods to isolate neural and glial cells for “omics” profiling and drug-screening.
2024 RFA-AG-14-012: Human Cell Reprogramming for Functional Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease (R01) RFA-AG-17-009: Impact of Aging in Human Cell Models of Alzheimer’s Disease (R01) PAR-18-516: Human Cell Biology of Alzheimer's Disease Genetic Variants (R01) RFA-AG-12-008: Human Cell Reprogramming for Aging and Alzheimer's Disease Research (R21) RFA-AG-21-005: Limited Competition: National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD) (U24) RFA-AG-24-040: Microphysiological Systems to Advance Precision Medicine for AD/ADRD Treatment and Prevention (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) 4.E Achieved Support the development of standardized, cost-effective, high throughput methods… DN 2015 AD Summit: 1G and 2H 2018 AD Summit: 3D 2021 AD Summit: 1.G Blog: Microphysiological systems: A promising new platform for Alzheimer’s drug development Translational Tools, Infrastructure, and Capabilities Examples of Funded Projects National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD) NIA Human Cell Reprogramming for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Research RFA Grantee Meeting UC Irvine ADRC iPSC Core UCSD ADRC iPSC Core 2016
Create a repository of fully characterized, quality controlled, and fully sequenced reference iPSC lines accessible to the wide research community that can serve as:
- A standard control for healthy genotypes and for generating edited-isogenic lines carrying specific AD risk variants.
- A source of cell lines from individuals from diverse cohorts with AD-related phenotypes and specific naturally occurring mutations/risk alleles.
- A resource to test and provide reference data on protocols to generate all CNS cell types.
Summary of Key Accomplishments
NIA continues to make robust investment in the development of novel alternative methods (NAMS) for use in basic research and therapy development.
In 2025, NIA established two translational centers for the development of microphysiologic systems to advance precision medicine for AD/ADRD (MPS-AD Centers). Over the next five years, the MPS-AD Centers multi-component AD/ADRD Microphysiological Systems (MPS) Translational Centers will develop 2D and 3D models of AD/ADRD as reproducible and scalable platforms that recapitulate key features of human AD/ADRD pathophysiology. Investigators will use these precision medicine research tools to investigate the complex biology of AD/ADRD and to accelerate multiple aspects of drug discovery and preclinical drug development. The Centers will generate cell lines from diverse donors with AD-related phenotypes and cell lines with specific naturally occurring mutations/risk alleles. The MPS-AD Centers will operate under open science principles and create a repository of fully characterized, quality controlled, and fully sequenced reference iPSC lines accessible to the wider research community in academia and the biotech/pharma industry.
In addition, the AD Research Center at UC Irvine has established a National Alzheimer’s Disease iPSC Cell Bank aimed at developing and sharing these tools with the research community to better understand the biology of AD and develop therapies. Also, the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD) biobanks makes iPS cells and fibroblast lines available to the research community. Finally, the NIA Intramural Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias (CARD) provides access to cell lines and data to researchers around the world. For example, the CARD iPSC Neurodegenerative Disease Initiative (iNDI) project developed individual stem cell lines for over 135 genetic variants across 73 genes associated with AD/ADRD. In phase two, these cell lines are being made into different brain cell types, including neurons, to find new biomarkers of disease progression and examine how disease affects different types of brain cells. More than 700 labs across 30 countries have purchased lines.
The key accomplishments summary is current as of September 2025.