With the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease projected to nearly double over the next 25 years, the need for new discoveries and treatments has never been more pressing.
The Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at the Indiana University School of Medicine recently launched a summer undergraduate research program geared toward training the next generation of scientists studying Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
The multi-week summer program, called Investigating Neurosciences, a Summer Program to Ignite Research and Education, or INSPIRE, is intentionally designed for early-stage undergraduate students, specifically freshmen and sophomores, to study alongside nationally and internationally recognized experts in Alzheimer's disease at the IU School of Medicine.
"We intend to 'pull back the curtain' for students to see what career options exist for them after graduation and pathways for how they can achieve these careers," said William Truitt, PhD, co-director of the Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program at the IU School of Medicine. "It is our hope that the experience will inspire these students to pursue life-long learning and careers in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias."
The school received a five-year, $1.1 million grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, to fund the summer research program. Truitt, an associate professor of anatomy, cell biology and physiology, and Donna Wilcock, PhD, the Barbara and Larry Sharpf Professor of Alzheimer’s Disease Research, serve as the primary investigators of the grant.
More than 7 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is projected to rise to nearly 13 million by 2050, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Health and long-term care costs associated with the disease is also estimated to increase to $1 trillion in 2050, and caregivers provide more than 19 billion hours of unpaid care each year.
“What makes the specific demand for scientists in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research so great is the growing age of our population and the staggering projections of how rapidly Alzheimer’s disease will rise in the coming decades,” Truitt said.
The IU School of Medicine leads a comprehensive program in Alzheimer's disease research spanning basic, translational and clinical research. Year over year, the school ranks highly in the United States for National Institute of Aging research and receives tens of millions of grant dollars from the National Institutes of Health to fund Alzheimer's disease research.
Undergraduate students in the summer research program will conduct hands-on research projects guided by faculty experts in Alzheimer's disease research at the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute. They’ll learn alongside fellow undergraduate students in the Medical Neuroscience Summer Undergraduate Research Program — also a multi-week program at Stark — and graduate students in the Medical Neuroscience Graduate Program, the largest PhD program at the IU School of Medicine.
The 2026 INSPIRE program will run for eight weeks, starting the first week of June through the first week of August. Students will present their research findings at the annual Stark Summer Science Symposium, a gathering of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty investigators who study neuroscience-related research.
Truitt said students will also network with Alzheimer’s disease research professionals from a variety of careers and tour academic institutions and industry research facilities, such as pharmaceutical companies and biotech startups.
“While each participant receives focused research training, they are also exposed to a diverse range of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research through their peers,” Truitt said. “Such an environment lays the groundwork for participants to become highly trained, motivated and well-prepared for advanced roles in the graduate program or in Stark research labs.”
