Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded The Johns Hopkins University a Project Grant of $618,410 under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866) for the period February 1, 2026 through January 31, 2029. The award funds the development of a deep learning-based miniature microscope designed to advance early detection and understanding of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology in preclinical models. The research addresses critical limitations in existing imaging technologies by creating an innovative tool capable of imaging the neurovascular unit (NVU)—the integrated system of neurons, blood vessels, and supporting cells—at the spatial and temporal scales necessary to capture AD-related changes including altered functional connectivity, neural hyperactivity, blood flow decline, and endothelial dysfunction. The microscope will enable extended, continuous imaging sessions in awake, freely-behaving animal models while accounting for sleep-wake cycle disruptions and circadian rhythm changes associated with AD onset, substantially improving upon current imaging methods that typically capture data only once every one to two months.

The deliverable represents a technological advancement in neuroimaging instrumentation that will generate large-scale, temporally-resolved datasets capturing the early pathogenic cascades of AD in the NVU. By overcoming current hardware design limitations inherent to bulky systems such as positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance (MR), and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), this miniature microscope will provide researchers with enhanced capability to identify presymptomatic AD biomarkers and understand disease mechanisms that precede cognitive decline, thereby supporting the NIA's mission to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease and its related dementias.