New Alzheimer's Research Center Opens

Robert Golden, MD, dean of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and Sanjay Asthana, MD, director of the new Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC), celebrate the ADRC opening and receipt of a $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Madison, Wisconsin — The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) is celebrating the opening of the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) and a $7 million federal grant to fund it.

"As the only integrated school of medicine and public health in the country, we view the work of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center as central to our mission of improving the health of the people of Wisconsin," said Robert Golden, MD, dean of the School of Medicine and Public Health, at a celebration at the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research on September 23.

The five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Aging was secured through the leadership of center director Sanjay Asthana, MD, SMPH geriatrics section chief and professor of medicine. The UW had to compete with several reputed centers to receive this award.

The Wisconsin ADRC is one of only 17 NIH and NIA-funded Alzheimer's disease research centers that include unique and cutting-edge research, clinical care and support for Alzheimer's patients and their families and specialized education and training for School of Medicine and Public Health students.

"The grant and creation of the center are testament to the innovative research and creative thinking of researchers and staff who are committed to finding better diagnosis and treatment options for Alzheimer's disease patients," Asthana said.

Asthana says one of the highlights of the new center will be the statewide expansion of the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention (WRAP), a registry of asymptomatic adult children of Alzheimer's disease victims. The goal of the registry is to find clues to the disease, even before people develop symptoms, and provide early intervention.

The statewide registry will allow researchers to begin ground-breaking research on Alzheimer's disease in minority groups. Asthana says there is very little, if any research, on the development of the disease in minority populations.