Revolutionary project will obtain entire genome sequences in fight against Alzheimer's

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That stream of data will now turn into a flood, as LONI partners with an ambitious public–private effort to dig deeper into the causes of this devastating disease by obtaining the whole-genome sequencing of the more than 800 people enrolled in ADNI — the largest cohort of individuals related to a single disease.

This work is expected to generate at least 165 terabytes of new genetic data, an amount roughly equivalent to the information contained in 165,000 entire copies of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

"This effort, involving almost 60 sites around the country, is the best chance we have for understanding this brutal disease," said LONI director Arthur Toga, a UCLA professor of neurology and one of the collaborators on the management of the sequencing efforts. "We collect vast amounts of imaging, cognitive and biosample data from hundreds of subjects with Alzheimer's disease, those at risk, and controls. One of the more unique aspects of this study is that all data are shared with any scientist, without embargo. We have already engaged many scientists around the world with this open access."

The new genome project is a significant extension of ADNI, which now enrolls people with Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment and normal cognition who have agreed to be studied in great detail over time. The goal is to identify and understand markers of the disease with the hope of improving early diagnosis and accelerating the discovery of new treatments.

All of the ADNI data continues to flow into UCLA's LONI, including detailed, long-term assessments of neuropsychological measures, standardized structural and functional imaging, and precise biomarker measures from blood and spinal fluid. Now, added to this wealth of information will be the ADNI participants' entire genome sequences, which determine all 6 billion letters in an individual's DNA in one comprehensive analysis.

Once the sequences are completed — approximately 16 weeks after the sequencing project starts — the raw data will rapidly be made available to qualified scientists around the globe to mine for novel targets for risk-assessment, new therapies and much-needed insights into the causes of Alzheimer's.