NIA Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Friends of the National Institute on Aging

Addressing global challenges for aging and dementia

In an InsideNIA blog post, Drs. Damali Martin and John Phillips of the NIA Division of Neuroscience announced that NIA is joining the Global Environmental and Occupational Health (GEOHealth) program. GEOHealth works to build institutions and networks in developing countries for coordinated and collaborative environmental and occupational health research, data management, and training at the local, regional, and global levels. Each NIA GEOHealth hub will be supported by two coordinated, linked awards: 1) a cooperative research award to an institution in a developing nation, and 2) a training award to a U.S. institution with substantial NIH involvement to coordinate research training. All GEOHealth projects must feature mentored research training and career development programs for scientists in low- and middle-income countries in a variety of disciplines. For more details or to apply for GEOHealth funding, visit RFA-TW-21-001 or RFA-TW-21-002.

NIA-supported National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias

In a recent InsideNIA blog post, Dr. Cerise Elliott, Program Director in the Clinical Interventions and Diagnostics Branch of the Division of Neuroscience, highlighted the National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD), an NIA-supported resource to help scientists accelerate and streamline their efforts. NCRAD serves AD/ADRD scientists by banking a wide range of biospecimens, recently including pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Through a collaboration with the NIA Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease Data Storage Site (NIAGADS), NCRAD supports state-of-the-art genome and genotyping arrays for samples in several new studies, including the 90+ Study, a longitudinal study of aging and cognition among participants over age 90, and the Amyloid Neuroimaging and Genetics Initiative (ANGI), an add-on for participants in the Imaging Dementia-Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Study.

NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing

On the InsideNIA blog, Dr. Akanni Clarke and Ms. Grayson Donley, both of the NIA Division of Neuroscience, provided an update on data management and sharing requirements. Effective Jan. 25, 2023, the Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing requires all NIH-supported research which generates scientific data to include a Data Management and Sharing Plan. A comprehensive Plan should: (1) Identify the data types and resources that will be generated; (2) Propose a timeline for sharing the data and resources; (3) Determine where the resources will be stored; and (4) Describe how the community can access the resources. If you are submitting a grant application, the post recommends familiarizing yourself with the data sharing expectations for the FOA in question. Dr. Clarke and Ms. Donley suggest reviewing the NIA webpage on data sharing resources for researchers and contacting your program officer if you have any additional questions.

NIH Releases Results of COVID-19 Impacts Survey of Extramural Researchers

The NIH Office of Extramural Research on March 25 released results from two surveys of extramural researchers seeking information on the impacts of COVID-19 to the research enterprise. Initial survey results show respondents indicated concerns about career trajectories and the ability to apply for grants; mental health impacts including from external stressors, isolation, and caregiving duties; and decreased productivity in part due to decreased access to labs and facilities. “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. Our survey findings show that the scientific workforce has not been immune to its effects. It is clear the NIH-funded community of extramural researchers has experienced inequities in several domains, with early-career researchers and those with caregiving responsibilities most affected,” Marie Bernard, MD, acting chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, and Michael Lauer, deputy director for extramural research, said in their summary of the survey results.

2021 NIH Alzheimer’s Research Summit: Path to Precision Medicine for Treatment and Prevention

NIH Alzheimer’s Research Summits are key strategic planning meetings tied to the implementation of the first goal of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease: to effectively treat and prevent Alzheimer’s disease by 2025. They bring together a multi-stakeholder community including government, industry, academia, private foundation, and patient advocacy groups, to further integrated, translational Alzheimer’s research. The goal is to accelerate the development of effective, disease-modifying, and palliative therapies for the cognitive as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The 2021 Summit will be held virtually April 19 – April 22 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET.

NIH Videocast, April 19-22, 2021, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET. Registration is free and open to the public.