Mechanisms Underlying Olfactory Dysfunction in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Dementias
This grant will fund research into how aging and Alzheimer’s disease cause loss of smell, aiming to find new early indicators and treatment targets for dementia.
Funder: National Institutes of Health
Due Dates: October 6, 2026 (estimated, forecasted)
Funding Amounts: R01 mechanism; award size and total program funding not yet specified.
Summary: Supports research investigating the mechanisms linking olfactory dysfunction with aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and related dementias to inform risk prediction and therapeutic strategies.
Key Information: This opportunity is forecasted; applications are not yet being accepted.
Description
The National Institute on Aging (NIA), in partnership with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), intends to release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for research on the mechanisms underlying olfactory decline in the context of aging, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Alzheimer’s disease-related dementias (ADRD). The goal is to better understand how changes in the sense of smell may serve as indicators of health outcomes in older adults and as predictors of AD/ADRD risk. The initiative seeks to identify circuit-level changes in olfactory function that could reveal new targets for disease-modifying therapies. A wide range of research approaches—including cellular, molecular, imaging, physiological, omics, and novel methodologies—are encouraged. Studies may involve older adults and/or animal models.
