Resources
The Biomarker Core (Core F) of the ADRC will provide services, resources and expertise in the vascular, blood- brain barrier (BBB), neurovascular unit (NVU) and standard Alzheimer’s disease (AD) amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau biomarkers for USC ADRC and outside investigators. This will support the central theme of our ADRC to elucidate vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and AD, and the role of cerebrovascular system, vascular and metabolic risk factors (VMRF), and NVU in cognitive decline and the pathogenesis of dementia and AD.

Berislav Zlokovic, MD, PhD., Director

Dr. Zlokovic has a long standing interest in understanding the role of cerebral blood vessels and blood-brain barrier in the pathogenesis and treatment of neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke. Using experimental models of Alzheimer’s disease and studying human brain, his research team has shown that disruption of cellular cross-talk within the neurovascular unit can initiate neuronal dysfunction and injury, degeneration and loss, as well as accumulation Aβ and tau pathology. His lab has been working on developing new biomarkers of cell and system specific injury within the neurovascular unit; and new imaging biomarkers of neurovascular function in humans (DCE-MRI test) to narrow the gap between preclinical translational studies and clinical studies.