NIH launches $60M Alzheimer's initiative

NIH launched the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, a five-year study to determine whether MRI, PET, and other biological markers and assessment tools can be combined to measure the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Two-thirds of the $60 million in funding will come from the NIH's National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the FDA. Private partners have committed more than $20 million.

The U.S. and Canadian study in 800 adults between the ages of 55 and 90 will compare neuroimaging, biological and clinical information from 200 normal volunteers to be followed for three years; 400 people with MCI to be followed for three years; and 200 patients with early AD to be followed for two years. ...