The Clemson University Institute for Engaged Aging (IEA) and South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (SC-ADRC) developed the SPARK grant program to support Alzheimer’s and related dementias (AD/ADRD) research across Clemson University. The program supported researchers in their pursuit of external grant funding and provided opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. Projects were funded for one year and concluded in 2025.
“Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias are some of the most complex public health challenges of our time, requiring the attention of more than a single discipline. By supporting researchers from across the University, we accelerate discovery, translate science into meaningful care and deepen our understanding of the diseases and their impact on individuals and communities,” said Lesley Ross, professor and SmartState/SmartLife Endowed Chair in Aging and Cognition in the Department of Psychology, director of the Institute for Engaged Aging and co-director of the South Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. “Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to advancing Alzheimer’s research and improving lives statewide and beyond.”
IEA and SC-ADRC awarded six grants across Clemson University to support Alzheimer’s and related dementias research projects. For more information, reach out to the project’s principal investigator listed below.
SPARK-funded projects:
Title: Exploring the role of neurodegenerative biomarkers as mechanisms and moderators of cognitive training effect
Principal investigator: Hye Won Chai, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Department of Psychology
Project goal: To identify promising neurodegenerative biomarkers that moderate and mediate cognitive training transfer effects.
Title: Gait variability and control complexity in older adults
Principal investigator: Reed Gurchiek, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Bioengineering
Project goal: To compare gait-based digital biomarkers of motor control with control complexity and their relationship with cognition.
Title: Interplay between Alzheimer’s disease and cardiac dysfunction through Apolipoprotein E mutation (APOE4)
Principal investigator: Qing Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Project goal: To investigate mechanisms underlying APOE4-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the cardiovascular system as a potential indicator for future Alzheimer’s disease prediction and prevention.
Title: Interpretable statistical and machine learning for precision medicine with abundant features in Alzheimer’s disease
Principal investigator: Xinyi Li, Ph.D., assistant professor, School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Project goal: To develop advanced and interpretable statistical and machine learning methods for integrating imaging genomics in precision medicine to enhance understanding and treatment of AD/ADRD.
Title: Advancing precision medicine for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in diverse populations using artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) models
Principal investigators: Zahra Rahemi, Ph.D., RN, associate professor, School of Nursing; Morteza Sabet, Ph.D., research assistant professor, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering
Project goal: To address gaps in understanding of AD/ADRD risk by developing precision medicine approaches to predict, prevent and treat cognitive decline across varied biological profiles.
Title: Detecting cognitive decline in context: The role of everyday functioning and perceptions around health-tracking technologies
Principal investigator: Abigail Stephan, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Department of Psychology
Project goal: To identify daily lifestyle and environmental factors that reduce the impact of lower everyday function on cognitive decline, as well as adults’ perceptions of everyday function tracking technologies’ value and perceived efficacy in their health care.
The Institute for Engaged Aging is a part of Department of Psychology in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in nine disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.
