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National Institute on Aging – Alzheimer's Association Research Framework lays the groundwork for deeper understanding of Alzheimer's disease
Author(s) -
Knopman David S.,
Siemers Eric R.,
Bain Lisa J.,
Hendrix James A.,
Carrillo Maria C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2018.01.001
Subject(s) - association (psychology) , disease , gerontology , psychology , medicine , psychotherapist
The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association (NIA-AA) convened a workgroup in 2016 to develop a new Research Framework to promote novel directions for research based on emerging knowledge and new understanding of AD pathophysiology [1]. In anticipation of the December 31, 2017, deadline for public comments and the pending publication of the final version of the NIA-AA Research Framework, the Research Roundtable brought together experts from academia, industry, regulatory agencies and payor groups to discuss the potential promise and possible challenges of the prospective Research Framework. The Research Framework builds on a classification scheme that divides the major AD biomarkers into three categories: b amyloid (A), pathological tau (T), and neurodegeneration (N) [2]. The ATN biomarkers describe the state and stage of disease. For example, A1T1Nindicates that a person has amyloid and tau accumulating in the brain, but no signs of neurodegeneration, suggesting that he or she is at an early point on the AD continuum. What that means for clinical trials is that the ATN biomarkers should help to identify individuals appropriate for the drug being tested, whether it is a compound that targets amyloid, tau, or some other aspect of the disease. The authors of the Research Framework described it as a descriptive document that provides a common language and a basis for speaking about biomarkers based on empiric observations over the past decade. The Alzheimer’s field is “experiencing a paradigm shift. There is upheaval in fundamental concepts of the definition