UC Irvine Awarded $18 Million Grant to Lead Landmark Dementia Study

“This study will advance efforts to develop accurate diagnostic tools for LATE and lay the foundation for recruiting participants into future clinical trials targeting this disease,” says S. Ahmad Sajjadi. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 15, 2025 — With an $18 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Aging, UCI MIND researchers will lead a landmark multi-center study on dementia, while shining a brighter light on the University of California, Irvine’s position as a global leader in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.

The project will establish the nation’s first trial-ready patient group for limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). This common but underrecognized condition is present in up to 40 percent of the brains of older adults, highlighting the urgent need for focused studies and clinical trials. The study aims to improve the diagnosis of LATE during life and to recruit participants to future clinical trials of this disease. 

“LATE mimics Alzheimer’s disease in its symptoms yet stems from a distinct pathology. In the absence of reliable biomarkers, distinguishing the two conditions during life remains challenging. This study will advance efforts to develop accurate diagnostic tools for LATE and lay the foundation for recruiting participants into future clinical trials targeting this disease,” said study lead S. Ahmad Sajjadi, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology in the UC Irvine School of Medicine.

Participants who are at least 85 years old and fulfill the inclusion criteria will be recruited from five federally funded Alzheimer’s disease research centers (ARDC) at the participating sites, including the one at UCI MIND. In addition to clinical and cognitive assessments, the participants will undergo annual MRI scans, blood draws and bi-annual glucose PET scans to validate the existing and discover new biomarkers for LATE. They will also participate in recruitment studies to learn about factors affecting their willingness to participate in future clinical trials of LATE.

Another innovative aspect of the project will be ecological momentary assessments, which are remote digital assessments performed at participants’ homes. The EMA allows for repeated assessment of participants’ cognition in their own environment, enabling more realistic evaluations of cognitive abilities. All participating sites will launch recruitment campaigns to identify eligible participants either from existing cohorts or through new recruitment to join the respective ADRCs.  

The funding comes amid delays and threatened cuts to the National Institutes of Health budget. “Securing this major grant during these challenging times is a testament to the importance of the proposed study and to the outstanding track record of our team at UC Irvine and our collaborators,” said Joshua Grill, Ph.D., director of UCI MIND.

Besides Sajjadi and Grill, two other multiple principal investigators, both faculty members in the Department of Neurology, will round out the collaborative leadership team. Ali Ezzatti, M.D., is an associate professor and an expert in informatics and artificial intelligence. Crystal Glover, Ph.D., is also an associate professor and an expert in mixed methods and recruitment science.

Read the complete press release at UC Irvine News.