Home » News Update – February 18, 2022

    News Update – February 18, 2022

    Funding Opportunity

    The Alzheimer’s Association is pleased to announce the Part the Cloud Translational Research Funding initiative to increase the research efforts in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials directed towards Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias internationally.

    General considerations and eligibility

    Applications will be accepted from academic investigators and small companies with lead candidate therapeutic agents that require early stage testing (Phase 1 or Phase 2) prior to the larger Phase 2b or 3 efficacy studies, or with lead therapeutic agents that have already established human safety data and require a small-scale pilot Proof of Mechanism (POM) study in humans to begin proving the scientific concept in humans. This award will support Phase 1 studies or pilot small- scale Phase 2a studies for novel or repurposed potential compounds in cognitively unimpaired, mild cognitive impairment or later stages of disease, including single and multiple dose studies to establish safety, brain penetration and/or target engagement and POM in preparation for larger proof of concept trials. In addition, proposals may be considered that are POC to validate biological marker(s) of disease progression in a clinical trial environment. Any proposal must have a clear focus on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorder and be translational in nature. Full program details >

    Funding and award period

    We anticipate funding up to six Part the Cloud Research Awards. Each grant is limited to $800,000 (direct and indirect costs) over two or three years. Indirect costs are capped at 10 percent (rent for laboratory/office space is expected to be covered by indirect costs paid to the institution).

    Application Deadline: March 23, 2022, 5:00 PM ET

    Award Notification: May 15, 2022

    For more information: Contact grantsapp@alz.org


    Meet the ADRC Staff!

    Over the next several months, we plan to introduce members of the ADRC through the News Update. This week we are featuring members of the Clinical Core team ̶ Clinical Research Coordinators Shannon Casey; Carolina Quiroga, MD, MBA; and Shaina Roth.

    Shannon Casey is a graduate of the University of South Florida with degrees in gerontology and biomedical sciences. Her background includes working on social/clinical studies and benchtop research. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Gerontology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

    Shannon’s research interests include social determinants of health and the concept of successful aging. She is passionate about advocating for the aging population and is thrilled to be part of the ADRC team. She is excited to work alongside individuals dedicating their careers to furthering dementia research.


    Carolina Quiroga, MD, MBA, received her medical degree at La Javeriana University in Bogota, Colombia and practiced as general practitioner for a few years before coming to the United States. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree in healthcare and finances at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, followed by a Master of Science in Medical Sciences degree with emphasis in neurosciences from the University of South Florida.

    Dr. Quiroga’s research interests include exploring the relationship between memory disorders and aging. She enjoys living in the Triangle area and spending time at lakes and beaches. She spends much of her free time watching her child play tennis.


    Shaina Roth is a graduate of Washington College where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and behavioral neuroscience. She later received a Master of Science degree in psychology from Villanova University. Prior to beginning her position at the ADRC, she was also pursuing a PhD specializing in Cognitive Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill.

    Shaina’s research interests include investigating the cognitive and neurological mechanisms underlying age- and dementia-related memory change. She also has a passion for educating the public about scientific research and brain health. Outside of the office, Shaina enjoys exploring Triangle-area parks with her husband and toddler.


    The AD Informer Set: Chemical tools to facilitate Alzheimer’s disease drug discovery – Compound Plate Available

    The Alzheimer’s disease (AD) Informer Set is an available physical collection of compounds that can be used to qualify assays, interrogate target validity in AD models, and provides positive controls to aid the discovery of novel chemical matter for AD.

    The AD Informer Set contains 171 small molecule compounds that target 98 unique proteins. These proteins were nominated by the Accelerating Medicines Partnership for AD (AMP-AD) and TaRget Enablement to Accelerate Therapy Development for AD (TREAT-AD) consortia as novel targets for AD treatment. The set includes 11 clinical stage positive control compounds that have been used in phenotypic assays for AD. Any reported AD-relevant phenotypes and a predicted AD therapeutic direction for each target is included in the annotation provided with the set.

    The compounds included in the set have potent on-target activity (<1 mM) and cell activity (<10 mM) based on public data. All have been tested in microglial viability and phagocytosis studies and their kinetic solubility has been assessed. For a subset of the compounds within the set, we have generated data in hiPSC derived cellular assays, reported mouse PK, and evaluated off-target activity in a GPCR panel.

    We are currently providing this compound plate free of charge in a 384 well plate format containing 10 mM DMSO stock solution of each compound. To request the AD informer set either contact Professor Alison Axtman directly or visit the AD Knowledge Portal to indicate your interest:


    Neurodegenerative Disorder Biomarker Symposium

    The Duke Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) Neurodegeneration Challenge Network invites researchers and clinicians to their Neurodegenerative Disorder Biomarker Symposium on March 17th, 2022.

    This will be an in-person event* at the Duke Institute of Brain Sciences with breakfast and coffee provided. Register by March 4th!

    This event aims to connect researchers and clinicians together around the common goal of advancing our understanding of an individualized approach to combating neurodegenerative diseases. We believe that neurodegenerative disorders should no longer be viewed as monoliths, but as an opportunity to practice personalized research and medicine driven by molecularly defined patient sub-groups. We will host Dr. Alberto Espay from the Cincinnati Cohort Biomarker Program, a leader in Parkinson’s disease biomarker discovery, and a panel of movement disorder specialists from the Triangle to dive into the latest science around biomarker discovery and network together toward creative solutions for collaboration.

    For more information about the Duke-CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network including our past recorded events, visit our website.

    *This is currently scheduled as an in-person event, but will be subject to the latest COVID-19 guidance and may move virtual if needed.