Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center (GECC) For AD/ADRD Research

We propose a coordinating center that brings together experts and stakeholders to identify exposome research priorities, develop harmonized exposome measures based on those priorities, and establish guidance and best practices for use of exposome data to advance the science of AD/ADRD risk, resilience, and disparities. Leveraging and building upon the expertise gained from the successful development and expansion of the Gateway to Global Aging Data (the Gateway) platform, we propose to establish a research coordinating center, the Gateway Exposome Coordinating Center (GECC) for AD/ADRD Research. Given the wide range in exposures that occur over the life course, there is a critical need to facilitate discussions, engagements, and collaborations between researchers and stakeholders across many disciplines to create a central source of measures, guidance, and tools for the scientific community working on AD/ADRD outcomes. We propose the GECC to build consensus inclusively and transparently among experts and key stakeholders around six key, interconnected domains: Physical Environment, Social Environment, Policies, Community Services, Extreme Weather Events, and Life Experiences. The GECC will serve as a centralized hub for identifying and setting priorities, reaching consensus, and establishing guidance on accessing, developing, harmonizing, and sharing innovative exposome measures and data for the broader AD/ADRD research and stakeholder community. We will do this by (1) identifying key experts and stakeholders across disciplines within each domain, (2) organizing those experts and stakeholders through activities aimed at identifying key exposome measures and creating consensus around their prioritization and definition and, when lacking consensus, supporting research to facilitate consensus, (3) promoting within and cross-domain engagements to inspire innovation, understanding, the creation of common measurements, and collaborations, and (4) disseminating data, findings, and guidance from the GECC’s activities so that they can be used by the broader community and establish a published record of our decision-making and inform future generations of researchers. In addition to leading the development of exposure measures, the GECC will also promote and support others in developing and harmonizing exposome data, including NIA-supported infrastructure projects, center and network programs and other interested researchers and projects. This support will come through publishing detailed guidance documents, organizing capacity-building workshops, and the GECC’s pilot program. The GECC will further encourage innovations and participation from the broader scientific community through publications, research briefs, webinars, hackathons, exhibits, and social media, as well as the Center’s in-person and virtual workshops. Collectively, the activities of the GECC to establish consensus around core and innovative exposome measures and promote their harmonization and development for broad use will enable and accelerate AD/ADRD research across disciplines.