Introduction to Omics Translation in AD

Introduction

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Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a complex and heterogenous disorder characterized by multiple clinical, neuropathological and molecular phenotypes. Despite considerable effort to date, there is currently a lack of interventions or cure, thus there is a clear need for a better understanding of the heterogenous disease phenotypes and the underlying genetics to identify more effective preclinical strategies. Rapidly expanding genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and epigenomic data sets, and emerging animal models of AD created by the Model Organism Development and Evaluation for Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (MODEL-AD) consortium, now provide new tools for accelerating our understanding of AD and enable interspecies analysis for mapping findings from mouse model systems of AD to human omics signatures. While multi-omics data sets derived from AD and animal models of AD are available to the scientific community through various data ecosystems including the AD Knowledge Portal, a NIA designated FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data repository, a current barrier is mapping disease relevant molecular signatures between model organisms and humans.

Computational Techniques and Resources for Effective Translational Research in Alzheimer’s Disease focuses on enabling utilization of omics-driven computational techniques and analytical principles for cross species functional alignment. The goal of this workshop is to accelerate translational research in AD by training interested scientists on how to develop robust computational workflows for both hypothesis-driven and data-driven research strategies. The AD-specific, bespoke lessons will use resources from the AD Knowledge Portal, a NIA designated FAIR data repository that shares data from human and non-human studies generated by multiple collaborative research programs focused on aging, dementia, and AD. Participants will emerge from the workshop equipped with the knowledge and technical skills to conduct rigorous and reproducible computational research for more effective translational strategies in AD.

CAVATICA projects for the workshop include:

• AD Knowledge Portal
• Cross-Species Functional Alignment
• Computational Workflows for Single Cell and Spatial Transcriptomics
• Integrated Multi-Omics and Cross-Tissue Proteomics

To get started, please see CAVATICA in 10 steps.