$22 million grant renewed for UF-led Alzheimer’s research center

In this stock image, a seated patient interacts with a health care professional.

As scientists edge closer to changing the lives of people with dementia by finding ways to diagnose it earlier and treat it more effectively, a University of Florida-led research network has been awarded a new $22.3 million, five-year grant to propel these discoveries into clinical practice.

The National Institute on Aging has renewed a grant for the 1Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, or 1Florida ADRC, which uses the newest techniques to evaluate people with and without memory disorders and other thinking problems in research studies as part of the nationwide network of Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers.

“We’ve reached a transformative time in Alzheimer’s research, where not only are we advancing potential disease-modifying therapies, but very soon it may be possible for people to go to their primary care provider and get a blood test before they even have any symptoms,” said Glenn Smith, Ph.D., a professor in the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions’ Department of Clinical and Health Psychology who co-leads the 1Florida ADRC.

Read the full story by Michelle Jaffee here.