National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center

Project summary/abstract NACC (as U01 AG016976, at University of Washington) has been active since 1999. The existing NACC infrastructure is described in the Facilities and Resources Section of this application. The broad goals of the past funding cycles are consistent with those of the current U24 RFA — that is, to serve as: a.) the

central hub for organizing and enabling communication within and outside of the ADRC program, including annual meetings and steering committees; b.) a national data resource, collecting data from the Alzheimer's Disease Research Centers (ADRCs) as well as affiliated data and sample repositories; and

c.) a facilitator of current and future AD/ADRD research. NACC has considerable experience and success in reaching these goals, and is positioned for continued success in a rapidly advancing field. New data and methods are appearing in areas such as biomarkers, neuropathology, and tests for early detection. Through the strategic adoption of technological advances,

we will build on these accomplishments at an accelerated pace. Building on our already significant capabilities, we will: promote and broaden communication within and outside of the ADRC program; expand informatics capabilities of NACC consistent with FAIR principles; conduct and support methodologic and applied research, leveraging deep expertise in biostatistics and data science; and

support early-career research scientists by providing peer-reviewed competitive funding for several “junior investigators” each year. We aim to continue to improve our approach in each arena by combining time-tested approaches with the new tools and innovations we are developing to meet the changing scientific, technological, and communication needs of the NIA ADRC program and the field.