Friday, June 27, 2025 6/27/2025

Amyloid Beta Oligomer Induction of Alzheimer Disease in Nonhuman Primates

Award Number: R44AG067832
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Amyloid Beta Oligomer Induction of Alzheimer Disease in Nonhuman Primates - PROJECT SUMMARY Patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suffer a progressive loss of memory and cognitive ability, and eventual loss of basic bodily functions and death. The incidence and toll of AD on the healthcare system continues to rise with significant societal impact. There are no treatments for AD to prevent its inexorable course, and the principal obstacle to developing new therapies for AD has been the inadequacy of available preclinical modeling, which almost exclusively involves rodents. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) share greater homology to humans than rodents in all respects, including genomics, physiology, cognitive processing, neuronal network complexity and dynamics of drug/target interactions. Given these translational advantages, the long-term goal of this project is to develop a new NHP model of AD that can be standardized and deployed in rigorous, reproducible studies to overcome critical current deficiencies in translating preclinical studies into novel clinical diagnostic strategies and therapies. The objective of this application is to expand and advance our Phase I work on a NHP model of AD in which intrathecal administration of amyloid β-oligomers (AβOs) induces increased expression of phosphorylated tau in the medial temporal cortical memory circuit. This finding is consistent with our overall hypothesis that AβOs will trigger a cascade of accelerated pathology that mimics the changes occurring in the brains of AD patients. This hypothesis is based on a growing consensus in the AD research field that AβOs are the toxic species that provoke deposition of the characteristic tangles and plaques in the brain together with loss of neurons and synapses and associated cognitive decline. The hypothesis will be tested further in statistically meaningful designs by pursing three specific aims: 1) Determine the extent and persistence of induced cognitive deficits; 2) Confirm the predictive validity of the model using a pharmacological intervention, and 3) Assess the utility of EEG recordings from telemetry implants to track ongoing AD-like pathology. These studies will utilize in-life biomarkers (MRI-determined hippocampal volume, CSF analytes) together with post-mortem measurements (immunohistochemistry, biochemistry, electron microscopy) to establish the impact of AβOs administration in the brain of male and female St. Kitts green monkeys, a species that has been well characterized for its propensity to develop naturally occurring features of AD pathology. The approach is innovative because it represents a substantial shift from current AD research paradigms and tests a novel theoretical concept. The research is significant because it is expected to 1) overcome critical deficiencies in current animal AD models by validating an accelerated, inducible NHP model of sporadic AD in both males and females, 2) permit effective translation of basic discoveries into novel clinical diagnostic strategies and therapies, and 3) help understand possible sex differences in disease susceptibility and progression. Success with this program would provide a valuable resource to research groups in need of a relevant, reliable model of AD for basic research, and diagnostic and therapeutic development.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2021	VIRSCIO, INC	4 SCIENCE PARK STE 4	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	000	3	11/1/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2021	VIRSCIO INC	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	000	3	9/19/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2021	VIRSCIO INC	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	000	3	4/4/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2022	2021	VIRSCIO INC	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	001	3	6/15/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $770,793 )
2021	2021	VIRSCIO, INC.	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	002	3	8/25/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$770,793
2021	2020	VIRSCIO, INC.	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	001	2	5/25/2021	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
2021	2020	VIRSCIO, INC.	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	000	2	11/18/2020	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$0
														Subtotal = $770,793

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $1,119,343 )
2020	2020	VIRSCIO, INC.	4 SCIENCE PARK	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Aging Research	000	2	8/28/2020	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$1,119,343
														Subtotal = $1,119,343

Grand Total All Awards = $1,890,136

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Amyloid Beta Oligomer Induction of Alzheimer Disease in Nonhuman Primates

Award Number: R44AG067832

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer