CNCM is awarded $1.4 million NIH grant for Alzheimer’s disease research training

The UC Irvine Center for Neural Circuit Mapping has been awarded a five-year, $1.4 million National Institutes of Health T32 grant to establish a training program for Alzheimer’s disease research. The funds will support projects that hold significant promise for clinical translation to the condition, which remains one of our most pressing medical challenges. An interdisciplinary team of 29 faculty members will mentor and support pre- and postdoctoral fellows, employing state-of-the-art approaches to expand the mechanistic understanding of brain disorders through neural circuit mapping. This emerging field is anticipated to drive new therapeutic strategies in the coming decades. “The program will emphasize the development of novel tools and methodologies for early detection, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias,” said principal investigator Xiangmin Xu, UCI Chancellor’s Professor of anatomy & neurobiology and director of the CNCM. “Age-related cognitive impairments represent both a major health and socioeconomic concern in the U.S. and globally. The next generation of scientists in this program will lead the charge in understanding and ultimately curing these complex neurological conditions.” Todd Holmes, professor of physiology & biophysics, is co-principal investigator.