The Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2025 (AAIC)

Due to budgetary restrictions this year, a smaller than normal contingency from Duke and UNC attended the 2025 AAIC meeting. Fortunately, many Duke/UNC ADRC investigators were able to participate virtually, and those who traveled to Toronto made a splash. Here are some highlights from featured presentations:

• Dr. Heather Whitson co-chaired the Alzheimer’s Association Clinical Practice Guideline Panel on Blood-Based Biomarker Tests: New Clinical Practice Guidelines for Blood-Based Biomarkers | AAIC. She also summarized evidence from the conference on “Breakthroughs in Early detection of Cognitive Impairment and Diagnosis” for the AAIC-For-All session, which drew over 1600 virtual attendees from the community.
• Dr. Jay Lusk, an ADRC scholar from UNC, presented his work on “Characteristics and Safety Outcomes of Patients Treated with Lecanemab or Donanemab in Routine Clinical Practice: A Nationwide Study”.
• Dr. Mike Lutz and Dr. Ornit Chiba-Falek presented “Molecular insights into shared and distinct etiologies of Alzheimer’s disease and major depressive disorder at single-nucleus resolution”.
• Dr. Kim G. Johnson presented “Topline results from Phase 1/2 AAV gene therapy (LX1001) in APOE4/4 homozygotes with Alzheimer’s disease”.

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Funding Opportunities

AFTD Holloway Family Fund

2026 Holloway Postdoctoral Fellowships

• May address any area of basic, translational, or clinical FTD research as well as projects focused on FTD-related outcomes research and public health.
• Funds $60,000 per year between July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028
• Letter of Intent due September 5, 2025

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AFTD Holloway Family Fund & American Brain Foundation

2026 Clinical Research Training Scholarship in FTD

• Funded by the ATFD Holloway Family Fund and the American Brain Foundation, in collaboration with the American Academy of Neurology.
• For clinical research in FTD defined as “patient-oriented research conducted with human participants, or translational research specifically designed to develop treatments or enhance diagnosis of neurological disease.” This funding is designed for clinicians who are fellows or new faculty.
• Funds $65,000 direct per year (+$10,000 indirect) between July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028
• Applications are due September 9, 2025

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Meetings/Webinars

Karen L. Wrenn

2025 Karen L. Wrenn Lectureship

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exclusive for PhD students, Postdocs, Residents, & Fellows

Following the Lectureship – Invitation for Trainees

How to Succeed In Research & Life

1:30 – 2:00PM | Bryan Research 103

Ask the Expert: Dennis J. Selkoe, MD

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Frontiers Supports Alzheimer’s Research

Frontiers supports Alzheimer’s research with expert-led interview series focused on open data and drug discovery.

A new interview series highlighting open data, collaboration, and leading-edge research in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease launched with the support Frontiers.

“From A4 to AHEAD – Can Proteomics and Transcriptomics Help Us Rethink AD/ADRC trials?”

Enabling Next Generation Clinical Trail Design with Proteomics and Transcriptomics

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Save the Date!

Duke/UNC ADRC REC

IDEAS Forum

“Increasing Research Participation Among Indigenous People in Southeastern North Carolina”

August 28, 2025 | 4PM | Virtual

Presenters:

Ronny Bell, PhD, MS

Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor and Chair

Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy

UNC-Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy