The National Alzheimer鈥檚 Coordinating Center (NACC) and the are pleased to announce the 2025 winners. This newly expanded program is dedicated to mentoring and funding early career investigators focused on advancing Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and related dementias discovery and translation.
This year, 10 awardees from across the National Institute of Aging鈥檚 (NIA) Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Centers program will receive $135,000 in direct costs to support their proposed projects focused on tackling a range of pressing challenges in the field.
NACC is funded by NIA and serves as the centralized data repository and collaboration and communication hub for NIA鈥檚 Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research Centers (ADRC) program, which encompasses 36 centers across the United States. The Alzheimer鈥檚 Association is the world鈥檚 largest non-profit funder of Alzheimer鈥檚 and all dementia science, with over $360 million in funding committed today to over 1,000 projects in 53 countries.
This year, 10 researchers were chosen from an applicant pool of 138 eligible proposals across 34 Centers. The winners also represent 10 unique Centers and institutions across the United States.
Through a partnership with the , applicants could also participate in a mentorship program to aid them with their applications. Eighty-two percent of applicants participated in the program and were matched with a mentor. Seventy percent of the 10 awardees participated in the mentorship program and 93 percent of mentees reported that this mentorship would also be valuable for future grant applications. Mentee satisfaction rose in 2025, with 83% reporting that mentorship strengthened their proposals (up from 80% in 2024).
2025 Winner: Hilaree Frazier, PhD
University of Kentucky ADRC
Role of p38 MAPK in Mediating AD-Associated Myelin and Synaptic Changes
Myelin sheaths are an important component of nerve cells and are required for them to function properly. Loss of myelin is one of the first changes to occur in the Alzheimer鈥檚 disease (AD) brain, and this subsequently worsens cognitive decline and AD pathology. Using AD model mice, Dr. Frazier and colleagues will test if suppressing brain inflammation can reduce myelin deterioration and slow AD progression. The team will also evaluate myelin loss in AD patients across varying disease stages using clinical samples from the UK-ADRC.
For a full list of winners, .