BUSM researchers participate in five-year program to develop biomarkers for small vessel disease

To better predict, study and diagnose small vessel disease in the brain and its role in vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has been selected to participate in MarkVCID, a consortium designed to accelerate the development of new and existing biomarkers for small vessel VCID.

The five-year program, developed by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), in collaboration with the National Institute on Aging (NIA), includes seven research groups across the country collaborating to develop and validate candidate biomarkers for cerebral small vessel disease. BUSM will receive more than $5 million over the course of this project.

Covert small vessel disease (SVD) of the brain increases the risk of stroke, dementia and death while impairing quality of life by affecting mood and gait. Currently there is no prevention or treatment methods aimed specifically at the disease, beyond controlling for hypertension.

Under the direction of BUSM Principal Investigator Sudha Seshadri, MD, the researchers plan to measure two circulating biomarkers of microglial (cells in the brain and spinal cord) inflammation (sCD-14 and YKL-40) and a marker of astroglial (star shaped brain cells) injury (GFAP) in approximately 17,000 persons enrolled in the Framingham Heart Study as well as four other cohorts that are members of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium. They will then assess the additional value of the new biomarkers over previously established clinical, circulating and vascular risk factors.

"The team-based approach taken by the consortium allows us to study candidate biomarkers across different clinical settings at multiple institutions," said Roderick Corriveau, PhD, program director, NINDS. "Ultimately, we hope to develop a gold standard to identify cerebral small vessel disease early enough to intervene with treatment."

The second phase of the project is expected to begin in approximately two years and will involve the dissemination of those biomarkers showing the greatest potential to all consortium sites. The goal is to deliver small vessel VCID biomarkers that are ready for phase II and phase III clinical trials.