Biomarker Core of the ADRC at Mount Sinai

H-LAND personnel and collaborators staff the Biomarker Core of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

The Biomarker Core is focused on applying research on biomarkers obtained from neuroimaging, cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF), or blood to accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease as early as possible, to characterize disease heterogeneity, and to accelerate progress toward prevention and treatment. We provide collaboration and services for biomarker collection and analysis from participants in the ADRC cohort maintained by the Clinical Core, from participants newly recruited by the Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core, and from the broader patient population served by the Mount Sinai community. We provide expertise and recommendations to researchers and clinicians for the inclusion of neuroimaging, CSF, or blood biomarkers in studies and clinical trials. We provide training focused on neuroimaging biomarkers for ADRC trainees and consultation services for investigators new to Alzheimer’s disease research. We promote sharing of data and informatics through interactions with the Data Core and with Alzheimer’s disease researchers across the institution. Collaboration with the Genetics and Genomics Core provides the opportunity to identify genetic factors contributing to biomarker evidence for risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or potential resilience to the disease. The Biomarker Core broadly supports the integration of biomarker acquisition and analysis into ADRC activities with the aim of accelerating our ability to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, to differentiate potential contributing factors, and to more precisely target interventions toward those most likely to benefit.

Biomarker Core Personnel:

Collaborations and Resources:

The Biomarker Core and the ADRC at Mount Sinai are part of the NIA-funded network of Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers. Funding is provided by NIH/NIA grant P30AG066514 (PI: Mary Sano). When publishing data obtained from, supported by, or analyzed in consultation with the Biomarker Core, please include grant P30AG066514 in the acknowledgements.

The Biomarker Core conducts all of its research imaging studies at the BioMedical Engineering and Imaging Institute (BMEII) at Mount Sinai. See the BMEII website for information on BMEII Core Resources (including a pdf description suitable for inclusion in grants), Fees, Starting a Study at BMEII, and accessing the Imaging Research Warehouse.

Services of the Biomarker Core:

  • Consultation on PET and MRI studies (recommended sequences, available analytic packages, etc.)
  • Advise on SCAN-compliant data collection and transfer of data
  • SOPs for CSF and plasma collection and banking
  • Facilities description for grants, letters of support if needed
  • Neuraceq (amyloid PET) reader training (currently available only to Mount Sinai personnel; email trey.hedden@mssm.edu from your Mount Sinai email address for access code)
  • Plasma biomarker analytics (currently in development, in conjunction with Genetics and Genomics Core)

The Biomarker Core and affiliated studies contribute data to the Standardized Centralized Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias Neuroimaging (SCAN) initiative of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC). Contributed data are conducted with standardized protocols and will be publicly accessible through the SCAN website. For researchers interested in using SCAN-compliant imaging protocols, the Biomarker Core can provide protocols specific to the BMEII scanners at Mount Sinai, MRI and PET user manuals, and additional guidance.

Selected publicly accessible datasets containing biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease:

    NCRAD: CSF, plasma
    ADNI: CSF, plasma, amyloid PET, MRI
    LONI (A4, AIBL, etc.): amyloid PET, MRI
    DIAN: CSF, plasma, amyloid PET, FDG PET, MRI
    NACC: CSF, amyloid PET, MRI
    SCAN: amyloid PET, tau PET, MRI