State Awards $4.8M In Alzheimer's Disease Research Grants

More than 540,000 Floridians are living with Alzheimer’s Disease, and health officials say that's expected to increase by more than 30 percent in the next few years.

To help combat the rise of the most common form of dementia, the Florida Department of Health is awarding $4.8 million in grants for Alzheimer’s Disease research.

“I am pleased that the department is able to fund innovative projects and research initiatives focused on preventing Alzheimer’s Disease and improving the lives of the individuals and families that it has affected," said State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Celeste Philip in a news release.

This year, the money was distributed among nine schools and research centers for projects ranging from neuroimaging and risk prediction, to the gut flora that could play a role in the disease's progression.

Researchers at any university or research institute in Florida are eligible to apply for funding through the state-run Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program. The grants are awared through a peer-reviewed, competitive process based on recommendations by the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Grant Advisory Board.

Breakdown of the grant money:

University of South Florida - $522,356.55

• Palliative Care Education in Assisted Living for Care Providers of Residents with Dementia, $237,496.20
• A pilot study to examine the Impact of an African Drumming for Dementia program on African Americans with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Alzheimer’s Disease and their Caregivers, $95,000
• Visually-Assisted Mindful Music Listening Intervention for Persons Living with Dementia and Their Caregivers: A Pilot Study, $94,860.35
• Intracellular anti-Tau Proteins Engineered on a Hyperthermophilic Scaffold, $95,000

Florida Atlantic University - $1,137,227.90

• Neuroimaging and Sensitive Novel Cognitive Measures in Detection of Early Alzheimer's Disease in Bilingual and Monolingual Hispanic Americans, $235,018.60
• The role of exercise-induced systemic factors in Alzheimer's Disease, $237,500
• Fit2Drive: Development and Testing of a Driver Risk Predictor for Individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease, $237,500
• Peripheral Biomarkers to Define the Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration (ATN) Research Framework, $237,500
• Technology-based Systems to Measure Dual-task (motor-cognitive) Performance as a Biomarker for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease, $94,709.30
• Effect of neuronal activity on synaptopathy in Alzheimer's Disease using a novel multi-electrode microfluidic platform, $95,000

Florida International University - $94,998.82

• Shared neuroanatomical models of psychiatric conditions and Alzheimer's Disease spectrum disorders: The effects of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance and associated changes in brain morphology leading to Alzheimer's Disease
• Mayo Clinic - $419,681.82
• Identifying functional mutations in top Alzheimer's Disease GWAS genes using long-read sequencing in brain tissue, $237,500
• Therapeutic roles of surrogate Wnt agonist in Alzheimer Disease, $95,000
• Validation of novel, selective autophagy biomarkers in Alzheimer Disease, $87,181.82

Mount Sinai Medical Center - $237,500

• Impact of the MindSight Training Program on Patients with MCI and Early Stage Dementia

University of Central Florida - $94,998.91

• The Florida REACH Translation Project: Translating an EBP for an outpatient clinical setting to reach diverse community members

University of Florida - $1,369,259.81

• Is Cortisol Really a Factor in Cognitive Decline? $95,000
• Utilizing Data from the Electronic Medical Record to Predict Alzheimer's and Dementia Risk, $237,500
• Association of PET amyloid status with cognitive and functional outcomes of behavioral interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment, $237,500
• The Two Faces of Hypoxia in Alzheimer's Disease, $237,497.89
• Mechanisms of abnormal neuronal tau accumulation, interactions with amyloid-beta and pathological sequelae, $237,500
• Responses to a Standardized Approach to Advance Care Planning in Cognitive Disorders Clinic, $87,181.82
• Impact of total knee replacement surgery on trajectory of cognitive decline in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), $237,080.10

University of Miami - $828,984.20

• Role of Gut Microbiota on the Brain Metabolism, Cognition, Immune Function and Inflammation in Alzheimer's Disease: Novel Biomarkers and Understanding Mechanisms, $87,181.82
• Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Neuropsychology, $84,301
• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology, $87,830
• Impacts of Neighborhood Greenness & Greening Initiatives on Alzheimer's Disease in Medicare Beneficiaries, $95,000
• Middle-aged Offspring of Late Alzheimer's Probands: Novel Cognitive and Biomarker Assessment, $237,171.38
• Brain Vascular Imaging Phenotypes, Vascular Comorbidities and the Risk for Alzheimer Disease: The Florida VIP Study of Alzheimer’s Disease Risk, $237,500

University of West Florida - $94,991.98

• Impact of Adapted Dance on Mood and Physical Function among Alzheimer's Disease Assisted Living Residents

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