NIH Awards Mount Sinai Researchers $25 Million to Study Alzheimer’s Disease and Risk Among Chinese Americans
This population is among the fastest-growing in the U.S., but little is known about dementia in it
Older Chinese American adults are one of the fastest-growing populations in the United States, but to date they have been largely excluded from research aimed at understanding the risk factors that may be precursors to Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias. A newly awarded $25 million five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will provide researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai the opportunity to address this critical gap.
Led by Principal Investigators Clara Li, PhD, Jessica Spat-Lemus, PhD, Ankit Parekh, PhD, and Bin Zhang, PhD, the project will recruit 250 participants, split equally among foreign- and native-born older Chinese Americans. Using at-home sleep testing, cognitive assessments, positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, and blood-based biomarkers, the study will investigate the constellation of biological, social, and environmental factors that contribute to dementia risk. The researchers will also employ advanced systems biology and artificial intelligence approaches to develop highly predictive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, is a progressive brain disorder driven by a mix of genetic, environmental, and biological factors. Today, an estimated 7 million older Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease, and one in three die with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. While some work has been done to study Asian populations, the incidence of Alzheimer’s among Chinese Americans specifically has been difficult to quantify because they have not been represented in clinical research; similarly, data about risk factors are lacking.
“As neuropsychologists, we know that Alzheimer’s disease risk and presentation are shaped by cultural and social context,” said Dr. Li, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Our study will examine how generation status—whether participants were born in the United States or abroad—interacts with key social determinants such as acculturation, language proficiency, health care access, education, stress, and social networks. We anticipate uncovering unique pathways of risk that can inform tailored prevention and intervention strategies.”
“Neuropsychological testing and brain imaging provide complementary perspectives on how brain changes are reflected in cognitive and behavioral outcomes,” said Dr. Spat-Lemus, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “There is still little data on Chinese Americans in dementia research, particularly regarding how cultural, linguistic, and social factors may influence AD/ADRD risk. By integrating neuroimaging and neuropsychological data within a framework that considers generation status, education, and other key factors, our study will fill a critical gap in knowledge. This approach is essential for uncovering unique risk pathways and advancing precision medicine in dementia care.”
Sleep will be another central focus. “We still have a great deal to learn about how sleep disruption contributes to dementia,” said Dr. Parekh, an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine). “Chinese Americans report worse sleep quality than other groups, yet little is known about how this affects Alzheimer’s risk. By leveraging state-of-the-art home sleep devices and computational methods, we will study slow-wave sleep and other markers to uncover mechanisms that may lead to novel preventive interventions.”
At the molecular level, plasma biomarkers will provide key insights. “We need to better understand the interplay between biomarkers, cognition, sleep, and social factors,” said Dr. Zhang, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Director of the Mount Sinai Center for Transformative Disease Modeling. “By applying cutting-edge systems biology and artificial intelligence approaches to integrate large-scale molecular, clinical, neuroimaging, and social data that will be generated through this project, we aim to develop highly accurate models for predicting dementia progression in Chinese Americans, thereby laying the foundation for precision medicine.”
This landmark NIH award represents an unprecedented investment in understanding dementia risk in Chinese Americans, with the potential to shape culturally relevant strategies for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment—and to advance health equity nationwide.
About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the seven member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to New York City’s large and diverse patient population.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, MD-PhD, and master’s degree programs, with enrollment of more than 1,200 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,600 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. Its Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers 13 degree-granting programs, conducts innovative basic and translational research, and trains more than 560 postdoctoral research fellows.
Ranked 11th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. More than 4,500 scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across dozens of academic departments and multidisciplinary institutes with an emphasis on translational research and therapeutics. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai.
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* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 10 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2025-2026.
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