Global Alzheimer’s and Dementia Partnership to Advance Neuroscience in LMICs (GAP-ADN) - Recent studies have demonstrated the critical importance of including individuals of varied backgrounds in complex trait research to ensure broad research benefits and comprehensive understanding of diseases like Alzheimer Disease (AD) and AD-related dementias. The GAP-ADN Consortium aims to address this need through several key initiatives: coordinating consortium activities, promoting collaboration across the AD/ADRD research community, facilitating training opportunities, and coordinating data sharing. Through these efforts, the consortium will provide critical training opportunities for early-stage investigators while enabling senior investigators to expand their research globally, ultimately working to ensure that research progress in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is fully integrated with ongoing AD/ADRD research initiatives. The goal of this proposal is to establish a Coordinating Center to support and enhance collaboration among AD/ADRD researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through administrative coordination, partnership building, training opportunities, and data sharing mechanisms. The necessity of including individuals of varied ancestry in studies of complex traits has been clearly demonstrated, particularly in Alzheimer's disease where risk factors like the ApoE4 allele show differential effects based on ancestral background. Many US populations of various backgrounds trace their lineage to LMICs, making it critical that researchers in these countries have the tools and infrastructure to conduct high-quality research. However, LMIC investigators face significant obstacles in carrying out their studies. Drawing on our extensive experience coordinating large international consortia, several with LIMC collaborators, we will establish a Coordinating Center, Global Alzheimer’s and Dementia Partnership to Advance Neuroscience in LMICs (GAP- ADN), that will: 1) Provide comprehensive administrative and regulatory oversight while facilitating consortium- wide activities and reporting, 2) Promote collaboration and communication through website development and partnership building across the global AD/ADRD research community, 3) Create training opportunities for both early-stage and senior investigators to promote global participation and independence in AD/ADRD research, and 4) Coordinate data sharing and resource dissemination through NIA-approved repositories and consortium resource hubs following FAIR principles. Our team brings deep expertise in global research administration, AD/ADRD science, infrastructure building, and consortia management. The Coordinating Center will leverage this experience to break down obstacles between established and emerging investigators while ensuring that research benefits and infrastructure development reach all populations affected by AD/ADRD. By enabling broad participation in AD research while creating sustainable research networks between investigators globally, this initiative will help build crucial capacity for understanding the complete architecture of AD/ADRD across all populations.
