FROM THE DESK OF NIRANJAN BOSE

With every newsletter, we update you on data that is newly accessible through the AD Workbench or other interoperable platforms. This edition will be no exception. We will soon be featuring one of the largest proteomics datasets in the world, the European Platform for Neurodegenerative Disease (EPND)’s first harmonized biomarker dataset, and more.

But one of the most exciting things about the AD Data Initiative is our focus on launching programs and tools to help researchers use that data to break new ground in R&D for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.  

For example, as we discussed at AD/PD 2025 in April, it’s critical to take advantage of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools to accelerate progress. With that in mind, I’m proud to announce that we have selected an amazing and talented group of early-career researchers as our second cohort of William Gates Sr. AD Fellows, who will be focused specifically on opportunities around AI and ML.

Our four Cohort II scholars (listed below) specialize in AI and LLMs and also possess expertise in biostatistical modelling, high-dimensional data analysis, data integration, and statistical machine learning. We are very much looking forward to their contributions.

After significant development, collaboration, and feedback from research partners, I’m also very pleased to announce the official launch of the Global Research and Imaging Platform (GRIP), an initiative initially incubated at Gates Ventures and contributed to the AD Data Initiative for broader adoption and reach. Made available in May to participating dementia research centers, GRIP is an open-access, user-friendly platform for ingesting, cleaning, visualizing, and analyzing multi-modal data. As a "one-stop shop" platform designed to meet the evolving needs of researchers working with complex and diverse datasets, GRIP provides researchers with tools and workflows that allow them to generate more sophisticated insights in less time.

The beauty is that these programs and tools become more impactful as more data becomes accessible, and, as I mentioned, we continue to make progress on that front. 

The Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium (GNPC) will be making its harmonized dataset – one of the largest disease-specific proteomics datasets in the world – available to the global community via AD Workbench on July 15. It includes nearly 250 million unique protein measurements from 35,000 patient bio-samples gathered by 23 leading international research institutions. 

Also, our friends at the EPND released their first harmonized biomarker dataset, the ATN dataset, on the EPND Hub and AD Workbench in May. It includes harmonized clinical and biomarker data from over 350 participants across ten European research cohorts and seven EU clinical centers.

It is very rewarding to see more and more pieces of the data-sharing puzzle come together in the ADRD space. Together, we are helping to foster a more collaborative research culture and building the foundations for scientific breakthroughs. We hope to carry this energy into the AAIC 2025 conference this July in Toronto, where we will be making a few big announcements to continue this momentum.

Thanks to all for your many contributions to these efforts, and I hope to see you in Toronto. 

Best,

Niranjan Bose

Interim Executive Director

Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative

P.S. If you know someone who would like to learn more about our work, please share this newsletter, and invite them to subscribe here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cohort II of the William Gates Sr. AD Fellowship Program: After receiving 93 applications from 22 countries, the AD Data Initiative has selected four outstanding early career researchers for our second cohort of William H. Gates Sr. AD Fellows.

• Kimberley Billingsley, PhD., Staff Scientist at The National Institutes of Health/CARD, Head of the Applied Neurogenomics Group, USA

• Liz Yuanxi Lee, PhD., Senior Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, UK 

• Selena Wang, PhD., Assistant Professor, Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, USA

• Tavia Evans, PhD., Neuroscientist and Senior Researcher, Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands 

Our Cohort II fellows will focus on developing innovative approaches to apply AI and machine learning across key Alzheimer's research domains, such as early detection, neuroimaging, and disease progression.   

Alamar Biosciences, AD Data Initiative and Gates Ventures Global Partnership: In June, we announced a global partnership with Alamar Biosciences and Gates Ventures to advance translational research in Alzheimer's disease. This multi-center project will profile over 40,000 samples using ultra-sensitive NULISA™ technology. Learn more here.

AD Workbench featured in the Alzheimer’s Association Journal: Our peer-reviewed AD Workbench paper, the first official academic paper focused solely on highlighting AD Workbench and the robust suite of tools it provides, has been published with fully open access in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, the journal of the Alzheimer's Association^®. Researchers are asked to cite this paper in any work they do leveraging the AD Workbench and its suite of tools, allowing the community to fully appreciate the scientific output from AD Data Initiative.

Available to the Global Community on July 15 – Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium (GNPC)’s V1 Harmonized Data Set (HDS): The GNPC's V1 HDS will be released to the broader scientific community in July 2025, accessible via the AD Workbench. The V1 HDS is one of the world’s largest proteomics datasets and has united data from approximately 35,000 biosamples from 23 international cohorts, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, FTD, and healthy aging studies. This dataset is fully anonymized to international standards to accelerate biomarker discovery and therapeutic innovation through secure, cloud-based collaboration.

Now Officially Launched – The Global Research and Imaging Platform (GRIP): GRIP is thrilled to announce its analysis platform for dementia research centers launched in May 2025. After significant development, collaboration, and feedback from our research community, GRIP is ready to support cutting-edge research and innovation through its modular data analysis workflows. This open-access, user-friendly, and all-in-one platform is designed to meet the evolving needs of researchers working with complex and diverse datasets.

Revised AD Data Initiative Website: We’ve recently updated our website – if you haven’t visited us recently at http://www.alzheimersdata.org, come on by.

Read Bill Gates’ Recent Essay on Reasons for Hope in Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Research and Innovation: As Bill notes in his essay, Welcome to the next phase of the Alzheimer’s fight, "We are making massive progress in the fight against Alzheimer’s and other related dementias.”

AAIC 2025: Our team will be making some big announcements at this year’s Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Toronto, Canada. If you’re attending, come visit us at Booth #630. We will also be co-chairing a Featured Research Session, Harnessing the Power of Collaborative Data Sharing and Research: Progress and Existing Barriers, on July 31, 10-11:30AM in Room 107. We hope to see you there!

Partner Spotlight

CUHAS Visiting Scholars at Boston University: Boston University Summer School is currently hosting two early career researchers from Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS) in Tanzania who are using the AD Data Initiative’s Curation Studio to analyze speech recording data to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease.

Under the supervision of Dr. Rhoda Au, Dr. Farida Ollomy, a medical doctor and epidemiologist, and Ednah Loishiye, a master’s level student trained in epidemiology and applied biostatistics, the Visiting Scholars will learn how to process and analyze digital voice samples from Tanzanian health studies, including testing the GRIP digital voice tools and comparing their findings to results from FHS recordings. Their work could help doctors and researchers, especially those working in resource-constrained low- and middle-income countries, recognize potential markers of AD through speech patterns, and without the need for expensive imaging equipment or spinal taps. The two selected scholars will also be helping to build a critical mass of AD Workbench-trained statisticians at CUHAS in Tanzania.

“LMICs are seeing some of the most rapid increases in incident dementia,” says Dr. Au. “Africa is one of the regions in which there is increasing recognition of this growing epidemic with a concomitant need to build their research and care infrastructure. This program is supporting the training of students to leverage technological advances that will help with the building of this infrastructure in Tanzania.”

New Datasets Now Accessible via AD Workbench

We have published several new datasets to AD Workbench this past quarter, bringing our running total to 105, all findable and accessible through the AD Discovery Portal. New datasets include:

Amyloid Imaging to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease (AMYPAD) Prognostic and Natural History Study (PNHS) v202306: The AMYPAD PNHS) is an open-label, prospective, multicenter, cohort study that aims to improve disease modelling efforts and individualized risk stratification within the context of AD, by the additional collection of amyloid burden, measured by positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. The current version integrates information from 10 European Parent Cohorts and a total of 3368 participants.

Environmental Pollution-Induced Neurological Effects (EPINEF) study:  The EPINEF study is a multi-city prospective cohort study aiming to comprehensively investigate the effect of different environmental pollutants on brain structures, neuropsychological function, and the development of dementia in adults. It is based on 6 prospective community-based cohorts involving areas with low, moderate, and high exposure risk in Korea.

Neuroimaging of Inflammation in MemoRy and Other Disorders (NIMROD): The NIMROD study aims to understand the role of inflammation in several forms of dementia, memory loss and depression, including Alzheimer’s Disease. The study investigates the extent and pattern of neuroinflammation in these disorders, and whether neuroinflammation can predict subsequent clinical courses, including cognitive and functional decline.

European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases ATN Study: EPND’s first harmonized biomarker dataset of 350 individuals with AD, PD, DLB, and controls contains centralized measurements of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma biomarkers, including Aß42, Aß40, p-tau181, neurofilament light chain (NfL), and α-synuclein, alongside rich clinical data on cognition, motor function, mood, imaging, and genetics.

COMING SOON – Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium V1 Harmonized Data Set: As noted above, the largest public harmonized neurodegeneration proteomics data set in the world, incorporating nearly 250 million unique protein measures and data and bio-samples from 35,000 patients across 23 cohorts, will be live on July 15.

Learn more at AlzheimersData.org