To tackle the human health challenges that face the world today, the FNIH develops collaborations with top experts from government, industry, academia and the not-for-profit sector and provides a neutral environment where we can work productively toward a common goal.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus & Related Autoimmune Disorders is an initiative of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP), which is a multi-sector, pre-competitive partnership among government, industry, and nonprofit organizations, the goal of which is to harness collective capabilities, scale and resources toward improving current efforts to develop new therapies for complex, heterogeneous diseases.
This project will aim to standardize and validate measurement methods for inflammatory markers associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and/or Major Depressive Disorder to ultimately identify a unique biosignature of disease. The identified biosignature would greatly assist with medication development, patient diagnosing, and patient selection for clinical trials.
The Biomarkers Consortium’s Targeted Plasma-Based Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), completed in July 2012, was the first part of a multi-phased effort utilizing samples from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to validate multiplex panels in both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), to diagnose patients with AD and to monitor disease progression.
The Biomarkers Consortium’s PET Radioligand Project, completed in December 2012, developed improved, more sensitive PET radioligands with higher binding to the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor. Findings from this study suggest that the [11C]PBR38 ligand, in particular, may be useful in detecting progression from mild cognitive impairment or treatment response in Alzheimer’s Disease.
The Biomarkers Consortium Longitudinal CSF Proteomics Project addresses the need for tools for early diagnosis and measurement of disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease. This longitudinal study will measure the rate of change of five protein biomarkers within patients from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Cohort with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), AD and healthy controls, utilizing a multiplexed mass spectrometry-based approach.