The Challenge
How do sex and gender shape Alzheimer's and related dementias — and how can integrating them improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for everyone?
Over two decades, the field has established that sex and gender influence ADRD risk, biology, diagnosis and clinical outcomes — yet research infrastructure does not consistently account for them. Those gaps affect the validity and reach of findings across all ADRD research, and closing them takes a coordinated, large-scale approach no single lab or funder can achieve alone.
~2 in 3
people living with Alzheimer's are female
60%+
of dementia caregivers are women
~1 in 5
women's estimated lifetime risk at age 65
Our Approach
Supported by the AD Data Initiative, S|GN is building an integrated, sex- and gender-informed research ecosystem in three phases: aggregate, harmonize and analyze existing data; generate targeted new data where gaps remain; and expand cohort participation across institutions and geographies.
Poised to generate the largest harmonized dataset of participants with sex-specific and cognitive measures to interrogate sex differences in ADRD.
Key Research Questions
01
How do sex-disaggregated analyses of APOE change what we know about risk?
02
What sex-specific effects emerge from proteomic data?
03
How do recruitment, adherence and retention differ by sex and gender — and how should studies adapt?
Representative questions, not a comprehensive list.
Partners & Investigators
Scientific Advisory Board
Data & Tools
Harmonized Dataset
Clinical, demographic, reproductive, cognitive and AD pathology data; ~2,000 newly assayed sex hormone measures from ~5 cohorts.
AD Workbench
Host environment for harmonized data and member access.
Publications & Resources
