Indiana University Opens New Stem Cell Research Center for Alzheimer’s and Dementias

Indiana University has launched the Microphysiological Systems to Advance Precision Medicine for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (MAP-AD) center, one of only two in the U.S. focused on developing stem-cell-based human brain models to study Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

The center brings together experts from the IU School of Medicine and the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, leveraging IU’s existing Alzheimer’s research infrastructure.

The MAP-AD center will use brain organoids—three-dimensional cell models developed from human pluripotent stem cells—to investigate key disease mechanisms such as neuroinflammation and vascular dysfunction. These models are intended to provide a more accurate representation of the human brain compared to traditional animal models, with the goal of improving understanding of disease progression and accelerating drug discovery.

The National Institute on Aging, part of the NIH, has awarded IU a five-year, $16.5 million grant to fund MAP-AD. Jason Meyer, the A. Donald Merritt, Professor of Medical and Molecular Genetics, co-leads the center with a multi-disciplinary team that includes faculty from medicine, neurology, data science, and intelligent systems engineering.

Key research areas and activities at the MAP-AD center include:

• Developing brain organoid models to study genetic risk factors, particularly those involving the PLCG2 gene, which is linked to neuroinflammation in Alzheimer’s disease.
• Investigating cerebrovascular dysfunction and the role of the blood-brain barrier in disease progression.
• Applying artificial intelligence and organoid computing technology to enable detailed analysis (phenotyping) of Alzheimer’s pathology and neuroinflammation.
• Conducting preclinical and pharmacological studies to test potential therapies.
• Collaborating with the Indiana Biosciences Research Institute and Sage Bionetworks to share data and models with the broader research community via the AD Knowledge Portal.

Meyer’s lab will focus on organoid models related to genetic risk variants and neuroinflammation. Other IU labs will address aspects such as cerebrovascular dysfunction and computational phenotyping. Two floors of IU’s new Medical Education and Research Building will house these neurodegeneration research labs, including those focused on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.

More than 7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, a figure projected to reach nearly 13 million by 2050. Many promising drug candidates have failed in clinical trials after success in animal models, making human cell-based models like those developed by MAP-AD especially important for future research and therapy development.

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