Dr. Robert Nagele, professor of Medicine at the Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine and the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging is advancing research efforts to develop a blood test to detect early Alzheimer’s disease and track its progression with support from a three-year, $2,029,394 dollar National Institute of Aging (NIA) grant.

Dr. Nagele’s groundbreaking research, funded initially by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation, focuses on using autoantibodies to help identify the presence of Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms appear, when early treatment can be most effective.

“This grant from NIA moves us closer to the day when we have an early diagnostic test that could ultimately open a pathway to defeating Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Thomas A. Cavalieri, Dean of the Rowan University >School of Osteopathic Medicine. “We are grateful to the NIA for supporting this amazing research at Rowan SOM.”