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Principal Investigator  
Principal Investigator's Name: Abdullah Ali
Institution: Swarthmore College
Department: Department of Computer Science
Country:
Proposed Analysis: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) effects millions of Americans each year and millions more globally. Despite billions of dollars in yearly research costs, no cure is currently available. To fill this need in finding more diverse qualitative methods, underlying genetic mechanisms must be considered. AD is a highly heritable disease with a need to investigate the presence of new biomarkers to capture further insights into the mechanism of AD along with genetic determinants to brain biomarkers and to AD outcomes. The field of Brain Imaging Genetics prompts our goal of identifying AD genes through linking genetics to brain imaging traits and AD outcomes. We hypothesize that an AD genetic factor is associated with a causal pathway from genetic marker to imaging trait and to AD outcome. With additional evidence at the intermediate trait level, this causal genetic marker offers a more suitable target for subsequent drug developments. We will investigate 76 loci with genome-wide significant data of affecting AD risk. A locus can have multiple potential candidate AD genes. There is typically one gene but there can be more in some cases. Our focus is narrowed to the tau biomarker (AV1451-Tau) identified through PET scans. Predicted variables will be cognition and ability to accurately diagnose AD. We will use Pairwise Univariate Analysis along with Mediation models for the imaging biomarkers. Outcomes of this project will result in novel genetics findings and imaging mediators for AD outcomes. The findings will further our understanding behind the genetic mechanisms of AD to help facilitate treatments to create translational impact on AD treatment and prevention.
Additional Investigators  
Investigator's Name: Li Shen
Proposed Analysis: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) effects millions of Americans each year and millions more globally. Despite billions of dollars in yearly research costs, no cure is currently available. To fill this need in finding more diverse qualitative methods, underlying genetic mechanisms must be considered. AD is a highly heritable disease with a need to investigate the presence of new biomarkers to capture further insights into the mechanism of AD along with genetic determinants to brain biomarkers and to AD outcomes. The field of Brain Imaging Genetics prompts our goal of identifying AD genes through linking genetics to brain imaging traits and AD outcomes. We hypothesize that an AD genetic factor is associated with a causal pathway from genetic marker to imaging trait and to AD outcome. With additional evidence at the intermediate trait level, this causal genetic marker offers a more suitable target for subsequent drug developments. We will investigate 76 loci with genome-wide significant data of affecting AD risk. A locus can have multiple potential candidate AD genes. There is typically one gene but there can be more in some cases. Our focus is narrowed to the tau biomarker (AV1451-Tau) identified through PET scans. Predicted variables will be cognition and ability to accurately diagnose AD. We will use Pairwise Univariate Analysis along with Mediation models for the imaging biomarkers. Outcomes of this project will result in novel genetics findings and imaging mediators for AD outcomes. The findings will further our understanding behind the genetic mechanisms of AD to help facilitate treatments to create translational impact on AD treatment and prevention.
Investigator's Name: Kevin Webb
Proposed Analysis: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) effects millions of Americans each year and millions more globally. Despite billions of dollars in yearly research costs, no cure is currently available. To fill this need in finding more diverse qualitative methods, underlying genetic mechanisms must be considered. AD is a highly heritable disease with a need to investigate the presence of new biomarkers to capture further insights into the mechanism of AD along with genetic determinants to brain biomarkers and to AD outcomes. The field of Brain Imaging Genetics prompts our goal of identifying AD genes through linking genetics to brain imaging traits and AD outcomes. We hypothesize that an AD genetic factor is associated with a causal pathway from genetic marker to imaging trait and to AD outcome. With additional evidence at the intermediate trait level, this causal genetic marker offers a more suitable target for subsequent drug developments. We will investigate 76 loci with genome-wide significant data of affecting AD risk. A locus can have multiple potential candidate AD genes. There is typically one gene but there can be more in some cases. Our focus is narrowed to the tau biomarker (AV1451-Tau) identified through PET scans. Predicted variables will be cognition and ability to accurately diagnose AD. We will use Pairwise Univariate Analysis along with Mediation models for the imaging biomarkers. Outcomes of this project will result in novel genetics findings and imaging mediators for AD outcomes. The findings will further our understanding behind the genetic mechanisms of AD to help facilitate treatments to create translational impact on AD treatment and prevention.