The clinical core develops and maintains the clinical enterprise serving the ADRC’s overarching themes, including factors that modify the effect of APOE ε4 on dementia and ATN biomarkers, emphasizing vascular and metabolic risk. The core supports the ADRC’s overall scientific goal, i.e., understanding mechanisms by which APOE genotype affects clinical phenotype and progression toward dementia. The core provides well-characterized, longitudinally followed participants for affiliated research projects, USC researchers, and the broad scientific community by developing and maintaining a cohort at risk for dementia or its underlying pathology, characterizing participants by fluid and imaging biomarkers, and encouraging consent for brain donation. The core maintains an active registry of “study ready” potential participants who expressed interest in research participation. The core contributes to national initiatives including NACC, NCRAD, ADGC, SCAN, and CLARiTI; to multi-site observational studies including ADNI, DIAN, MarkVCID, DVCID, ACAD; and to national and international trials including the USC ACTC, UCSD ADCS, A4 and AHEAD 3-45. The core catalyzes local research by supporting recruitment, providing oversight and training for investigator-initiated studies and trials (e.g., PPGII, DVR, NoMAD, GADSIL, DHA, phenserine, exosomes). To accomplish its mission, the core closely interacts with other ADRC cores: Major science findings supported by the core are discussed in the proposal. Thus, the clinical core supports the USC ADRC’s overarching goals
A) defining factors that influence the effect of APOE ε4 on cognitive decline and ATN biomarkers,
B) supporting local ADRD research, and
C) contributing to national research initiatives.