Handen, Benjamin L PHD

This new R25 program, responsive to PAR-22-195, plays a crucial role in the INCLUDE project (Investigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE). Each year, we recruit,train, mentor, and provide career advice to a cohort of 16 post-graduate participants dedicated to mastering Down syndrome (DS) clinical research. Despite the swift growth of INCLUDE, there are still too few laboratories led by Down syndrome expert scientists and too few new clinical trainees with expertise in Down Syndrome. In full compliance with NOT-OD-25-090 (Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award), this program is available for all qualified American Citizens and Permanent Residents. Under the direction of multiple Principal Investigators, Ann Cohen, PhD (Pitt); Benjamin Handen, PhD (Pitt); Elizabeth Head, PhD (Irvine); Adam Resnick, MD, PhD (CHOP); Jonathan Santoro, MD (USC-Keck); and Gerald Schatten, PhD (Contact PI, Pitt), with Co-Investigator Calvin Simerly, PhD (Pitt), the ICRT initiative proposes five specific aims: I. Annual ICRT courses covering DS through the entire lifespan; II. Ongoing Mentoring; III. Fostering Intra-INCLUDE Collaborations and Partnerships; IV. Responsible Conduct for Research training to ensure full compliance with NIH and Institutional guidance, regulations and law; and V. Quantitative Independent Evaluations to track Participants’ Careers, comprehensively and longitudinally, to ensure that ICRT is a wise, effective investment. ICRT will meet and exceed the PAR’s mandate of training the next generation of DS clinical researchers, 80 additional clinical investigators, and thereby improving the quality of life and health span of those with Down syndrome.

The Metabolic Health, Lifestyle, and Risk of Co-Occurring Health Conditions in Down Syndrome (MET-DS) study is a five-year, longitudinal deep-phenotyping study of factors driving the risk and severity of co-occurring conditions in children, adolescents, and young adults with Down syndrome, funded by the NIH INCLUDE Project (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE). The study involves a rigorous protocol for understanding the complex interplay between trisomy 21, metabolic dysregulation, obesity, lifestyle, and the development of co-occurring conditions across childhood, adolescence, and into young adulthood in people with Down syndrome. This effort will enroll 200 participants (ages 6-24 years of age) with Down syndrome from four clinical performance sites, and track conditions and variables across 3 data collection cycles.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major public health crisis for our aging population. People with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk for AD and because of their unique biology and provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop biomarkers of preclinical AD. Reliable biomarkers of preclinical AD will enable new options for intervention and promote health for people with DS and in the general population.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major public health crisis for our aging population. People with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk for AD and because of their unique biology and provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop biomarkers of preclinical AD. This proposed pilot project will focus on parents of adults with DS, allowing us to address important questions related to the potential impact of a range of genetic factors on both maternal AD risk and AD risk to their DS offspring.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major public health crisis for our aging population. People with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk for AD and because of their unique biology and provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop biomarkers of preclinical AD. Reliable biomarkers of preclinical AD will enable new options for intervention and promote health for people with DS and in the general population.

– no change from original: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major public health crisis for our aging population. People with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk for AD and because of their unique biology and provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop biomarkers of preclinical AD. Reliable biomarkers of preclinical AD will enable new options for intervention and promote health for people with DS and in the general population.

Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are at an extremely high risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), with most individuals over age 40 evidencing neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques (which are thought to be associated with the eventual appearance of AD symptoms). The goal of the current application is to recruit and follow 180 adults with DS and 40 biomarker controls to enable the identification of the longitudinal progression of AD in adults with DS using clinical, cognitive, imaging and genetic and biochemical biomarkers. This data is not only necessary to deepen our understanding of the pathophysiology of AD in DS, but may also offer information that will prove useful in the design of treatment trials to slow or prevent AD in DS.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a major public health crisis for our aging population. People with Down Syndrome (DS) are at high risk for AD and because of their unique biology and provide an unparalleled opportunity to develop biomarkers of preclinical AD. Reliable biomarkers of preclinical AD will enable new options for intervention and promote health for people with DS and in the general population.