Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Launched in August 2016, the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) is a statewide partnership between the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan State University in East Lansing and Grand Rapids, and Wayne State University in Detroit to facilitate the most advanced dementia research. The regional presence of the ADRC formally links efforts at all three major Michigan universities providing a critically important statewide resource for researchers, trainees, health care professionals and the broader public.
The Michigan ADRC is one of 31 NIH-funded Alzheimer’s disease centers across the nation, and the only one that links three major research universities. They focus on bringing a non-beta amyloid approach to the larger ADRC research network, while also putting emphasis on the recruitment of underrepresented groups into dementia research.
Established at Michigan Medicine and based in the Department of Neurology, the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Center aims to:
- Conduct and support research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Promote state-of-the-art care and wellness for individuals and families affected by memory loss
- Increase dementia awareness through collaborative education and outreach efforts
- Work to address racial and ethnic disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
- Provide training and support to the next generation of clinicians and scientists
More than 5 million Americans 65 and older have Alzheimer’s disease, and another several million have other forms of dementia including frontotemporal dementia, Lewy Body dementia and vascular dementia. Currently, no disease-slowing therapies exist for any dementia.
