N.C. A&T Center Receives $4.8M NIH Grant to Study Alzheimer’s Disease

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Nov. 25, 2024) — North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Center for Outreach in Alzheimer’s, Aging and Community Health (COAACH) received a five-year $4.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in middle-aged African Americans.

Travonia Brown-Hughes, Ph.D., COAACH director and associate professor in N.C. A&T’s College of Science and Technology, secured the grant.

“The NIH R01 award is the ‘gold standard for independent research funding’ and is a critical milestone for researchers,” said Melissa Hodge-Penn, Ed.D., interim vice chancellor of the Division of Research. “By receiving this award, a researcher has demonstrated through a highly competitive peer review process both scientific merit and potential impact represented in their preliminary data.” 

The NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the world’s largest biomedical research agency. The agency’s goal is to prevent disease and improve health.

“This grant will allow us to conduct the research study, “The Black American United Memory and Aging Project (BA-UMAP): An Examination of Cognitive Decline in Mid-life & Older Black Adults,” which will examine biopsychosocial factors impacting cognitive outcomes in 600 Black participants ages 55 and over,” said Brown-Hughes.

The BA-UMAP research study will be conducted exclusively online. COAACH, Johns Hopkins University, Clemson University, Michigan’s William Beaumont Hospital and the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at Wake Forest University School of Medicine will serve as collaborators.

“We are thrilled to receive this NIH funding. Researching Alzheimer’s disease in middle-aged African Americans holds the potential for earlier detection, more effective treatments, and tailored prevention strategies, helping to reduce health disparities. This work aligns with our mission as both an HBCU and a land-grant institution dedicated to advancing science and serving underrepresented communities,” said Abdellah Ahmidouch, Ph.D., CoST dean.

The Alzheimer’s Association recognizes National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month every November, and according to a 2020 study, approximately “210,000 North Carolinians were living with Alzheimer's disease.” The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services highlighted various studies have revealed “as few as half of the individuals meeting the criteria for dementia are diagnosed, and as such, the number of North Carolinians living with dementia may be higher.” 

Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, older Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease compared to white Americans. In addition, both groups are less likely to receive a diagnosis of AD and related dementias than older whites.

“The time has come for us to move beyond hoping for a way to prevent, stop or cure Alzheimer’s disease,” said Brown-Hughes. “We have to help ourselves by harnessing the resources and the strengths that are part of the Black community and its history.

“Amid broader calls for social justice, greater strides must be made to eliminate discrimination and other forms of bias to ensure all Americans have access to high-quality dementia care and support services and opportunities to participate in, and benefit from, Alzheimer’s research.”

COAACH also was recently awarded $150,000 as part of the NC Registry for Brain Health, with Ashley Sanderlin, Ph.D., COAACH associate director and site principal investigator, in partnership with Wake Forest School of Medicine, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University to connect North Carolina residents with research opportunities across the state and to improve brain health awareness.

For those interested in participating in the BA-UMAP study, go to this website for more information.

Community members interested in connecting with COAACH are invited to a “How to Stay Fit, Fine and Relaxed” lunch and learn with guest speaker Keatah Brooks, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CWCN, on Thursday, Dec. 5, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at 2105 Yanceyville St. in Greensboro. To register, fill out this form.