JAX accelerates Alzheimer’s research through hands-on education

New and long-standing workshops at The Jackson Laboratory empower researchers with cutting-edge tools, data, and collaborative opportunities.

Three courses on Alzheimer’s and aging-related conditions this May showcased JAX’s commitment to advancing research through experiential training, impacting over 60 scientists from around the country who gathered in Bar Harbor to learn, strategize and collaborate.

Facilitated by JAX Courses & Workshops, the grant-funded events covered the latest research and practical tools – from data analysis to mouse model selection – allowing participants, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, professors, data scientists and others, to practice hands-on techniques under the guidance of experienced Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and aging experts at JAX. The workshops were conducted at JAX’s historic Highseas and within the JAX Training Lab, creating a unique live-learn environment that fostered scientific exchange and lasting connections.

The May series featured: a new course on computational approaches in Alzheimer’s research, integrating multi-scale datasets; a new course focused on vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), the role of blood vessel health in cognitive decline; and a long-running course on preclinical to clinical translation in Alzheimer’s, now in its 7th year. Each was designed to address emerging scientific needs and empower the next generation of Alzheimer’s and aging researchers.

“Our expertise within the JAX MODEL-AD Center, the Shock Center of Aging, and in computational data science, combined with our genomics expertise, resources, and animal models, makes JAX the ideal place to learn about the latest advances in Alzheimer’s and aging-related research,” said Brent Berwin, Director, Courses & Workshops. “Through these courses, JAX is able to share the best current practices in these fields with researchers who will help expand and advance research in these crucial disease areas.”

The power of computational data in Alzheimer’s research

The month kicked off with Computational Techniques and Resources for Effective Translational Research in Alzheimer’s Disease (May 5–8), a immersive workshop designed to build bioinformatics skills and knowledge at the intersection of emerging technologies and Alzheimer’s research.

Funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the four-day workshop was organized by Asli Uyar, a computational scientist at JAX, with co-leadership from Laura Heath, associate director of Sage Bionetworks, Vilas Menon, an assistant professor of Neurological Sciences at Columbia University, as well as JAX’s Greg Carter and Susan McClatchy.

Computational data analysis can be a solo affair. But Uyar noted that the workshop was built specifically for in-person, collaborative learning. Computational scientists from all a range of disciplines – including academia and the private sector, as well as Ph.D. and postdoctoral trainees – gathered for training on timely topics, including multi-omics integration, molecular mapping between mouse models and AD subtypes, and deep learning approaches.  

At the heart of the workshop was a translational goal: to improve preclinical research by enabling more precise use of model organisms that align with human AD biology. The group generated valuable data that, at the course’s conclusion, was offered to the Alzheimer’s research community at large through Sage Bionetworks’ AD Knowledge Portal. Learning how to use the platform with comfort and ease was a hallmark of the workshop.

The course exemplified JAX’s spirit of collaboration, said Uyar, who noted that working together on computational science research in this manner opens a world of possibility.

“This kind of collaborative, intensive environment really opens up what’s possible in translational science,” said Uyar. “Data speaks for itself when explored with care. If we approach rich Alzheimer’s disease data using the right techniques, and with depth and an open perspective, it can lead us to clinical breakthroughs.”

Participants in the course said that the practical skills they learned, alongside the networking with fellow researchers, was invaluable.  

“This course really taught me a lot about cutting-edge bioinformatics technology that I can apply immediately to my research, and also use in the future,” said Jung Hyun Park, a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University.  “I also got to socialize and work with peers from many other fields, and meet professors, which will definitely have a positive impact on my career.”

Dementia from a new angle: the vascular connection

Running May 12–15, the Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) course was a first-of-its-kind training at JAX, that examined how vascular health impacts cognitive decline — an area of growing interest and significance in dementia research. Participants gathered to tackle critical challenges in this growing field, which examines how blood vessel health in the brain can lead to dementia.

Noting the lack of training opportunities for researchers in this growing field, Gareth Howell and Cheryl Wellington, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia, developed and led the course. The workshop, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, explored topics including glial biology, metabolic dysfunction, peripheral influences and mouse modeling, and offered hands-on training opportunities and career development opportunities for participants.

Howell explained that this line of study offers a dynamic new approach to Alzheimer’s and dementia research, which has long been centered around the study of amyloid plaque buildup in the brain. “The exciting thing about the field is that we are exploring if preserving blood vessel health staves off some of these issues,” he said. VCID offers the possibility of collaborative research opportunities with those studying other areas that include vascular brain health, such as stroke.

The conference ended as another exciting chapter for VCID health began: the first meeting of the VCID Center Without Walls, a consortium funded by a recent $5.9M NINDS grant including Emory University, Columbia University and Rush University – with JAX serving as the coordinating center. The consortium’s aim is to prioritize novel therapeutic targets for vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, and their initial meeting took launched as the VCID course ended.

“I think one of the reasons JAX has really established itself over the past ten years in the Alzheimer’s and dementia field is that we do science differently,” said Howell. “We collaborate and synergize with people.”

From bench to bedside: translating Alzheimer’s research

The final workshop of the month, Principles and Techniques for Improving Preclinical to Clinical Translation in Alzheimer’s Disease Research (May 19–23), focused on bridging the gap between animal models and clinical applications.

Led by Mike Sasner, JAX, and Stacey Rizzo, Associate Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh, this NIA-funded flagship course, now in its 7^th year of NIA funding, draws on the resources of the MODEL-AD consortium to train participants in rigorous study design and translational methods, bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical AD research.

The MODEL-AD Consortium was established in 2016 by the NIA, with a rigorous set of goals, including to develop the next generation of in vivo models of late-onset AD based on human data, establish guidelines for rigorous preclinical testing in animal models and ensure rapid availability of animal models, protocols and validation data to all researchers for preclinical drug development.

Drawing on the novel models, extensive techniques, and critical data sets generated by MODEL-AD, the  workshop provided practical skills and insights for participants. These included: how to select and phenotype mouse models for Alzheimer’s research; hands-on training on in vivo dosing, blood and CSF collection, and other biomethods; experimental design for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies; translating academic research into preclinical applications; and insights relevant to both academia and biopharma.

“Exploring diverse mouse models is the key to generating better, more clinically relevant data,” said Sasner, who noted JAX’s extensive expertise in this area, making the institution a natural leader in both research and education. “The door is just opening for this kind of translational research, and truly exciting discoveries lie ahead.”

With these three courses, JAX continues to strengthen its role as a hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, educational leadership, and cutting-edge research in Alzheimer’s disease and aging-related conditions. For more information on JAX’s educational offerings, visit JAX Education’s Courses and Workshops.

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