NC A&T lands federal grant to study Alzheimer’s disease

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Researchers at North Carolina A&T State University earned a $4.8 million federal grant to study Alzheimer's in middle-age Black people from the National Institutes of Health.

North Carolina A&T State University researchers earned a federal grant to study Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged Black Americans.

A&T’s Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s, Aging and Community Health received a five-year $4.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for the Black American United Memory and Aging Project. Travonia Brown-Hughes Ph.D., the COAACH director and associate professor at A&T’s College of Science and Technology, secured the grant.

“This grant will allow us to conduct the research study, ‘The Black American United Memory and Aging Project: An Examination of Cognitive Decline in Mid-life & Older Black Adults,’ which will examine biopsychosocial factors impacting cognitive outcomes in 600 Black participants ages 55 and over,” Brown-Hughes said in a statement.

NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the world’s largest biomedical research agency. The research study will be conducted exclusively online. COAACH, Johns Hopkins University, Clemson University, Michigan’s William Beaumont Hospital and the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest University School of Medicine will collaborate on the project.

“The NIH R01 award is the gold standard for independent research funding and is a critical milestone for researchers,” said Melissa Hodge-Penn Ed.D., interim vice chancellor of A&T’s Division of Research. “By receiving this award, a researcher has demonstrated through a highly competitive peer review process both scientific merit and potential impact represented in their preliminary data.”

According to a 2020 study by the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately “210,000 North Carolinians were living with Alzheimer's disease.” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services highlighted studies that have revealed “as few as half of the individuals meeting the criteria for dementia are diagnosed, and as such, the number of North Carolinians living with dementia may be higher.”   

Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease compared to white Americans. Both groups are less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and related dementias than older white people.

“We are thrilled to receive this NIH funding,” said Abdellah Ahmidouch, Ph.D., CoST’s dean. “Researching Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged African Americans holds the potential for earlier detection, more effective treatments, and tailored prevention strategies, helping to reduce health disparities. This work aligns with our mission as both an HBCU and a land-grant institution dedicated to advancing science and serving underrepresented communities.”

COAACH recently was awarded $150,000 as part of the NC Registry for Brain Health with associate director and site principal investigator Ashley Sanderlin Ph.D. in partnership with Wake Forest School of Medicine, Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and East Carolina University to connect North Carolinians with research opportunities across the state.

“The time has come for us to move beyond hoping for a way to prevent, stop or cure Alzheimer’s disease,” Brown-Hughes said. “We have to help ourselves by harnessing the resources and the strengths that are part of the Black community and its history.

“Amid broader calls for social justice, greater strides must be made to eliminate discrimination and other forms of bias to ensure all Americans have access to high-quality dementia care and support services and opportunities to participate in, and benefit from, Alzheimer’s research.”
 

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