NIA-AA Research Framework

Dear Colleague:

In 2011, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Alzheimer's Association published revised guidelines (NIA-AA) for modernization of the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

Starting in 2016, the NIA and Alzheimer's Association convened an international workgroup of scientific experts to re-evaluate the 2011 guidelines in the context of new and emerging data. The workgroup has proposed a framework for Alzheimer’s disease research which incorporates the latest understanding of biomarkers for research purposes. The framework updates a scheme for defining and staging the disease across its entire spectrum so that the research community can communicate findings in a common manner. The scheme was presented at Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) 2016 and the Alzheimer's Association International Conference® (AAIC®) 2017. 

In response to feedback collected from those presentations and follow up discussions, the NIA-AA workgroup has continued to refine its thinking. To that end, we write to you today to share that an updated draft of the NIA-AA research framework is available on ALZ.org/NIA-AA for further review and further comment until December 2, 2017.

Sincerely, 

Alzheimer's Association

On behalf of the NIA-AA Workgroup