FY12 Militarily Relevant Peer Reviewed Alzheimer's Disease Research Program (MRPRA) Military Risk Factors Research Award

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Applications to the FY12 Militarily Relevant Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Disease ResearchProgram (MRPRA) are being solicited for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs,Defense Health Program Medical Research and Development Office by the UnitedStates Army Medical Research Acquisitions Activity (USAMRAA). The Telemedicine andAdvanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) is administering the application process, andUSAMRAA is issuing this Program Announcement and will be negotiating all resulting awards.Military personnel who suffer severe or moderate TBI face an increased risk for developingseveral long-term health problems. These conditions include Alzheimer's-like dementia,aggression, memory loss, depression, and symptoms similar to those of other neurologicaldiseases. Even mild TBI may be associated with some of these adverse consequences.The mission of the MRPRA is to build an integrated program devoted towards understanding the association between Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and reducingthe burden on those affected especially in the military community. Therefore, the primaryobjective of the FY12 MRPRA is to facilitate the development of research tools and clinicaloutcomes that will permit the detection and diagnosis of neurological change found with TBI associated AD. A second, but equally important, objective for the FY12 MRPRA is the development of technologies intended to directly benefit individuals suffering from the symptoms of neurological impairment associated with either TBI or AD. Research falling under this second objective is intended to either increase or maintain the quality of life of those affectedby the symptoms of either TBI or AD. Research funded through the Military Risk Factors Research Award (MRFA) Program Announcement/Funding Opportunity is intended to facilitate high-impact, systematic, population-based, research into the association between TBI and AD. The research impact is intended to benefit the military community, while meeting a public purpose for the benefit of the civilian community. Applications must detail the plan for providing access to the study cohort. Preliminary data which supports how the cohort will be used in the study is also required. The preliminary data should also strongly support the proposed research hypotheses.

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