Following a nine-month, campuswide call and review process, DARI selected its inaugural recipients from a highly competitive pool. A total of 112 pre-proposals were submitted, from which 25 finalists were invited forward and evaluated through internal and external expert review, a study section panel and administrative review.
“These projects highlight the breadth of talent across Texas A&M and what is possible when our faculty collaborate across disciplines,” said Tommy Williams, interim president of Texas A&M University. “Together, they exemplify how Texas A&M serves as a force for good — advancing brain health and dementia research while accelerating solutions that improve lives across the state, nation and beyond.
Inaugural 2026 DARI Seedling Grant Awardees
The selected projects span the full continuum of dementia research: Early detection, biomarkers, prevention strategies, novel therapeutics, AI-enabled diagnostics, caregiver support and built-environment solutions:
- “Sensor-Augmented Multimodal ‘Digital Apathy Signature’ for the Early Detection of Apathy and Dementia Risk” – Mark Benden, PhD, School of Public Health
- “Development of Blood-Brain Barrier-Penetrating Peptide Shuttle Vectors for the Treatment of Neuroinflammatory and Neurodegenerative Diseases” – Peter Davies, MD, PhD, Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
- “Evaluation of Clostridioides Difficile Virulence Factors in the Development of Dementia and Alzheimer’s” – Marjorie Pizarro-Guajardo, PhD, College of Arts & Sciences
- “Innate Immune Signaling & LINE-1 Retrotransposons as Precision-Based Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s” – Kenneth Ramos, MD, PhD, Institute of Biosciences & Technology
- “Intranasal, Magnetically Guided Delivery of Clusterin Enhancers to Slow Down Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s” – Ashok Shetty, PhD, Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
- “Disrupted Circadian Rhythms as a Driver of Inflammation and Cognitive Decline: Targeting Neuroimmune Mechanisms for Early Intervention” – Karienn Souza, PhD, Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
- “Repurposing the Smoking Cessation Drug Cytisine as a Prophylactic Against Conversion of Mild Cognitive Impairment to Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias” – Rahul Srinivasan, PhD, Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine
- “Nutrient-Sensing GHSR Mediates Transgenerational Neurotoxicity of Environmental Toxicant BPA to Promote Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s” – Yuxiang Sun, MD, PhD, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
- “Gait Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease & Related Dementias” – Jenna Yentes, PhD, College of Education & Human Development
- “Multimodal AI Reasoning Models for Early Diagnosis and Understanding of Alzheimer’s” – Tianbao Yang, PhD, College of Engineering
- “Reimagine Homes for Living with Dementia: Support Safety, Independence, and Autonomy through a Smart Homecare Digital Twin” – Xuemei Zhu, PhD, College of Architecture
A model built for impact
The initiative’s original pledge of $1.25 million was increased by $75,000 to ensure funding for the top 11 proposals based on scientific merit, scope and strong potential for future external funding.
“This selection process was born of conversations with our faculty and their advocacy for the expertise we have across the entire university,” said Indra Reddy, PhD, interim chief operating officer and senior vice president of Texas A&M Health. “This entire process—defined by 130 symposium participants, 112 pre-proposals and 25 finalists—illustrates Texas A&M’s combined strength in addressing this issue and positions us well for state, federal and philanthropic investment.”
Reddy announced the initiative in March 2025, appointed co-leads and supported the initial $1 million commitment to establish the seedling grant program.
Positioned for a New Era of Statewide Investment
DARI’s launch aligns with a major statewide movement promoting brain health research. Texas voters recently approved a constitutional amendment establishing the Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, a multibillion-dollar effort to accelerate research and development across the state.
“I am proud to see this faculty-led effort at our flagship institution,” said Glenn Hegar, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “Alzheimer’s and related dementias affect countless Texas families, and these projects reflect the very best of our land-grant mission—bringing research, innovation and service together to address the most urgent needs of our state.”
Together, these seedling grants are designed to accelerate discoveries that improve early diagnosis, slow disease progression, support caregivers and inform healthier living environments—positioning Texas A&M to play a leading role in addressing one of the most pressing public health challenges facing Texas families.
What’s next
A second annual DARI symposium is planned for late spring 2026, and Texas A&M is advancing collaborations to strengthen capabilities in imaging, human clinical research and analytics in support of Alzheimer’s and dementia research across the university.
To stay informed on DARI projects and related initiatives, visit the DARI website.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M HEALTH
Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) comprises five colleges and schools (dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health), integrated University Health Services, several research centers and institutes, and numerous outpatient clinics with a shared mission of advancing health care for all. We serve the state and beyond with campuses and locations in Bryan-College Station, Dallas, Houston, Round Rock, Kingsville, Corpus Christi, McAllen and Navasota. Learn more at health.tamu.edu or follow @TAMUHealth on X (née Twitter).
