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The National Institute on Aging (NIA) will partner with the Alzheimer's Association to create the nation's largest repository of genetic material from families affected by late-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, PhD, associate director of NIA's Neuroscience and Neuropsychology of Aging program, announced the partnership in a July 22 at the Alzheimer's Association 11th National Alzheimer's Disease Education Conference. "We are so pleased to be working hand-in-hand with the Alzheimer's Association and its nationwide chapter network on the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Initiative," noted Bogorad.

The study will recruit participants through Alzheimer's Association chapters across the country. The "ideal" participant family has at least two siblings with Alzheimer's and at least one other relative affected by the disease. Participants will be asked to donate a blood sample and to provide medical information about family members with and without Alzheimer's disease. A sample collected from a family member at autopsy could qualify for inclusion. The aim is to recruit at least 1,000 families over the next three years.

All samples will be collected anonymously and will remain anonymous to researchers who tap into the collection, which will be housed at Indiana University's National Cell Repository for Alzheimer's Disease.

Late-onset Alzheimer's, the most common form of the disease, tends to strike at age 65 or later and has no clear inheritance pattern. Understanding the genetic factors involved may provide important insights into the basic biology of the disease and point the way to new treatments or preventions.

In consultation with the Alzheimer's Association, the NIA is developing detailed information materials to help the Association's regional chapters in recruitment. These materials will be distributed to chapters in Fall 2003.

For preliminary information about participating in the study, please call Jamalynne Stuck, MS, research coordinator and genetic counselor at Indiana University's National Cell Repository for Alzheimer's Disease (NCRAD), at 800. 526.2839 or 317.274.7360. You may also contact Ms. Stuck by e-mail at jastuck@iupui.edu or alzstudy@iupui.edu.