The Translational Therapeutics Core (TTC) is accelerating preclinical development of new therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and AD-related dementia (ADRD) through human target validation. This includes supplying the following clinically-characterized samples from patients and matched controls.
- Human brain tissue (both frozen and fixed)
- Cerebrospinal fluid
- Blood
Applications for TTC tissue are welcomed from researchers working on projects related to putative therapeutic processes for AD / ADRD. Applications are evaluated by the team below. Successful applicants are guided through pilot proof of principle studies, followed by definitive highly-powered studies. Modest funds are available to support the translational studies in the scientist’s home lab, if requested.
The TTC is located at University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center, and is directed by Andrew A. Pieper, MD PhD, who also serves as Director of the Neurotherapeutics Center of the Harrington Discovery Institute of UH. The connection to the Harrington Discovery Institute also offers opportunity for guidance and support in drug development for AD/ADRD for TTC-supported investigators.
The TTC works closely with the Neuropathology Core, the Biomarker Core, and the Research Education Component of the CADRC. Starting in 2021, the TTC will also identify and financially support an annual TTC-REC fellow.
Researchers may request tissue through contacting TTC@ClevelandADRC.org
Example of the collaborative work of the TTC
Fang, J., Zhang, P., Zhou, Y. et al. Endophenotype-based in silico network medicine discovery combined with insurance record data mining identifies sildenafil as a candidate drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Nat Aging (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-021-00138-z
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-021-00138-z
“This paper is an example of a growing area of research in precision medicine where big data is key to connecting the dots between existing drugs and a complex disease like Alzheimer’s,” said Jean Yuan, MD, PhD, Translational Bioinformatics and Drug Development program director at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funded this research. “This is one of many efforts we are supporting to find existing drugs or available safe compounds for other conditions that would be good candidates for Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials.”
Personnel:
Andrew A. Pieper, MD PhD, Translational Therapeutics Core Leader
Coral J. Cintrón-Pérez, M.B.A., TTC coordinator
James Leverenz, MD, Co-Investigator
Feixiong Cheng, PhD, Co-Investigator
Jeffrey L. Cummings, MD, Co-Investigator
Babak Tousi, MD, Co-Investigator
Alan J. Lerner, MD, Co-Investigator
