About Us

Overview

The Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) Study aims to improve understanding of the causes and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, examine lifestyle and diet factors that may influence the onset of Alzheimer’s and help develop preventative strategies. AIBL is a three-year prospective longitudinal study of ageing which has reached its initial aim of recruiting a cohort of 1,000 volunteers, comprised of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and healthy volunteers.

The AIBL Study is a collaboration cluster initiated by the CSIRO Preventative Health National Research Flagship. The study, launched on November 14 2006, is a joint activity between the University of Melbourne, Edith Cowan University Western Australia, Neurosciences Australia, Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria and National Ageing Research Institute and CSIRO. AIBL is not only one of the largest studies into Alzheimer’s disease it also has a world leading approach by integrating expertise in neuroimaging, biomarkers, neuropsychology, and lifestyle interventions.

The Cohort

The cohort consists of over 1000 volunteers (minimum age 60 years), recruited from five population groups; 1) early AD (CDR 0.5 or 1), 2) MCI, 3) ApoE 4+ healthy volunteers, 4) ApoE 4- healthy volunteers, and 5) subjective memory complainers. At baseline, each volunteer completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, a Food Frequency Questionnaire, a comprehensive clinical and neuropsychology battery, and provided an 80ml blood sample for clinical pathology, biomarker analysis and storage in liquid nitrogen. In addition, 250 of the cohort (25% from each group) receive a [C-11]PIB PET scan as a measure of in vivo amyloid and a MRI scan. These assessments will be repeated at 18-month follow-up.

Lead researchers

The study is lead by Professor David Ames, Professor of Ageing and Health at the University of Melbourne and Director of NARI (The National Ageing Research Institute). Daily operations and scientific management is undertaken by Dr Kathryn Ellis a psychologist with extensive experience in brain imaging (Uni Melbourne) and Prof Peter Hudson coordinates the CSIRO collaborative network.

Professor Colin Masters, Emeritus Professor of Pathology, University of Melbourne and Director of MHRI (The Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria) has a major input into the biomarkers program based on his discovery of the brain amyloid protein and extensive international network. Professor Ashley Bush (Federation Fellow at the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria) who is internationally renowned for seminal discoveries on the impact of metal and oxidative biology on neurodegenerative disorders  and Professor Ralph Martins from Edith Cowan University, lead the diagnostics and biomarkers program aimed at early stage identification and assessing effectiveness of interventions. Professor Peter Hudson (CSIRO and HUPO-HAI) coordinates development and formulation of neuro-targeting reagents for In Vitro and In Vivo diagnosis and the design of therapeutic antibodies.

Associate Professors Chris Rowe (Director, Nuclear Medicine and Centre for PET, Austin Hospital) and Nat Lenzo (Royal Perth Hospital and Edith Cowan University) apply state-of-the-art neuroimaging technology to develop and confirm new diagnostic tests and biomarkers. Dr. Olivier Salvado (CSIRO Team Leader) provides accurate 3D quantitative analysis of amyloid neuroimaging, including correlation of cortical thinning with amyloid deposition.

Professor Paul Maruff (Chief Science Officer, Cogstate Ltd, and Centre for Neuroscience, University of Melbourne), Dr Kathryn Ellis (University of Melbourne), Assoc Professor Greg Savage (Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science, NSW) and Dr Jonathan Foster (Senior Fellow in Cognitive Neuroscience, Edith Cowan University) lead the neuropsychological testing of the cohort to classify participants and monitor their condition.