The Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) focuses on the study normal aging and treatment of dementia, as well as other memory disorders. Our Center is organized around seven cores or specialty areas, and an education component targeting advanced trainees.
Administrative Core
Co-directed by John Crary, MD, PhD and Jamie Walker, MD, PhD, the Neuropathology Core serves as the central hub of the ADRC's human brain tissue research and clinicopathological discovery efforts. We partner closely with the Clinical Core to obtain autopsy-derived brain specimens from deeply characterized individuals, enabling high-resolution integration of longitudinal clinical, biomarker, and genetic data with definitive neuropathologic findings. Each donation undergoes a comprehensive, research-grade evaluation, and all findings are harmonized within our unified clinical–neuropathological database to support precision phenotyping and discovery across the AD and aging spectrum. The Core is committed not only to providing high-quality, well-annotated human tissue but also, in collaboration with the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core, to training the next generation of clinician scientists and neuropathologists. Trainees participate in case evaluations, diagnostic consensus discussions, digital neuropathology workflows, and research utilization of human tissues, gaining critical experience at the interface of pathology, clinical neuroscience, and translational research. Tissues and data from the Neuropathology Core are widely used by investigators within the ADRC, across Mount Sinai, and by collaborators nationally and internationally, supporting studies that span molecular pathology, biomarker development, computational modeling, and therapeutic discovery.
Neuroimaging Biomarker Core
The Neuroimaging Biomarker Core, led by Trey Hedden, PhD, is focused on applying research on biomarkers obtained from neuroimaging (PET and MRI) to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease as early as possible, to characterize variation in the disease process, and to accelerate progress toward prevention and treatment. We provide collaboration and services for PET and MRI collection and analysis from participants in the ADRC cohort maintained by the Clinical Core, from participants newly recruited by the Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core, and from the broader patient population served by the Mount Sinai community.
We provide expertise and recommendations to researchers and clinicians for the incorporation of PET and MRI biomarkers in studies and clinical trials. We provide training focused on neuroimaging biomarkers for ADRC trainees and consultation services for investigators new to Alzheimer's disease research. We promote sharing of data and informatics through interactions with the Data Core and with Alzheimer's disease researchers across the institution. Collaboration with the Fluid Biomarker and Genomics Core provides the opportunity to identify genetic factors contributing to biomarker evidence for risk of developing Alzheimer's disease or potential resilience to the disease. The Neuroimaging Biomarker Core broadly supports the integration of biomarker acquisition and analysis into ADRC activities with the aim of accelerating our ability to diagnose Alzheimer's disease, to differentiate potential contributing factors, and to more precisely target interventions toward those most likely to benefit.
Clinical Core
The Clinical Core, Directed by Judith Neugroshl MD, and Co-Directed by Hillel Grossman, MD, performs comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological patient evaluations, coordinates data transfer to the Data Management Core, and conducts longitudinal follow-up of individuals at-risk for dementia or with dementia-related illnesses. We coordinate recruitment of participants for our ADRC, ATRI, and other studies and pilot studies, some of which are funded by the National Institutes of Health. We train a wide range of individuals in patient assessment and data collection and recruit for possible participation in the autopsy program.
Data Management Core
Directed by Carolyn Zhu PhD and Co-Directed by Patricia-Kovatch, the Data Management Core receives, stores, catalogues, tracks, and integrates data generated by the cores and other ADRC projects. The core advises on statistical analysis and develops statistical tools and techniques to advance research. The core has developed a highly secure data management infrastructure within the Department of Psychiatry. We provide seamless integration of data acquired by ADRC cores and projects with NACC data sets and can offer turn-key generation of data sets to accommodate NACC data calls. We integrate data resulting from the Clinical Core, Fluid Biomarker, Genetics and Genomics, and Neuropathology Cores into a centralized resource that enhances cross-fertilization of projects and provides ready access to all investigators.
Biomarkers and Genomics Core
The Biomarkers and Genomics Core, co-directed by Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD, and Towfique Raj, PhD, coordinates with the Clinical Core to collect biospecimens from all consented ADRC participants and maintains a repository and a database of the stored biological materials. We generate fluid biomarker data as well as genetic and genomic information on ADRC samples and bio-bank plasma, PBMC and DNA for discovery science and biomarker development. ADRD fluid biomarkers and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array data and APOE genotype data are available on most ADRC participants. In addition to maintaining a local database within the core, we provide these data to the Data Management Core. It is anticipated that collection of these data will facilitate clinical and basic science investigations of the pathogenesis of ADRD. Our Core also contributes to the efforts of the Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core by providing laboratory training for students participating in the ISMMS ADRC summer internship program.
Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core
The Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core, Directed by Margaret Sewell, PhD and Co-Directed by Judith Neugroschl, MD, provides targeted outreach to elders in our community to ensure recruitment and retention for investigators in the ISMMS-ADRC and allied collaborators. Our activities are well-integrated with the other Cores and our accomplishments have been achieved through close collaboration with other departments at the Mount Sinai Health System, and the gatekeepers of a number of community organizations. The Core disseminates research information widely and explains new knowledge to our participants, professionals, trainees, and the lay public. This is accomplished by providing stimulating outreach programs in English and Spanish that include the presence of our Community Advisory Board, brain health seminars, ADRC lunch talks, social media, written and web-based information, community events publicizing developments in dementia research and a College Summer Internship program.
The Core is working to accomplish targeted recruitment in part through our expanding Community Registry and use of an Accelerator comprised of researchers, community stakeholders, clinicians, caregivers and community elders to identify research priorities, address barriers to research participation (i.e. fear of certain research procedures including blood draws and imaging) and guide the development of recruitment strategies and tools to serve the Clinical Core and other allied researchers.
Neuropathology Core
Directed by John Crary, MD, PhD, and Co-Directed by Jamie Walker, MD. Vahram Haroutunian, PhD and Dushyant Purohit, MD are senior advisors and founding Neuropathology Core Directors. The Neuropathology Core obtains autopsy-derived brain specimens from individuals who have been evaluated and followed longitudinally by the Clinical Core. We strive to obtain the brain specimens with the shortest postmortem interval; our mean postmortem interval is less than six hours. We dissect and preserve the specimens to maximize their utility for proposed experiments within the center as well as other AD and aging-related research projects. We carry out a detailed neuropathologic work-up to establish a neuropathologic diagnosis as well as to document the extent and distribution of relevant neuropathologic lesions and enter all data into an extensive database that can be integrated into the clinical database for cliniconeuropathologic correlative investigations. The tissues collected have been used extensively in a wide range of studies. Researchers within the ADRC, in the greater Mount Sinai research community, and by other researchers nationally and internationally request them frequently.
Research Education Component
The Research Education Component (REC), under the direction of Nikolaos Robakis, PhD, and Stephen Salton MD, PhD, provides critically needed training for junior faculty, senior postdoctoral fellows, and clinical research track residents and fellows, to conduct research on Alzheimer’s disease-related disorders (ADRD). The REC supports trainees to conduct research and provides advanced training in approaches and methodologies needed to conduct high quality, ethical, and multidisciplinary research on ADRD disorders. Trainees are provided with at least two interdisciplinary mentors, and an individually tailored career development plan as well as multiple forums that will encourage development of trainee presentation skills. The REC assists trainees in the process of submitting and obtaining external grant funding that is appropriate for their career stage (e.g. K award for postdocs and clinical fellows, or R21/RO1 for junior faculty) and helps them be able to sustain long-term academic careers as independent investigators and future leaders in the basic, translational, and clinical research of ADRDs. Through the participation of distinguished senior faculty mentors in an intellectually and technologically rich academic environment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), the REC also helps support gifted and highly motivated junior investigators who are new to ADRD research.