ABSTRACT (ADMIN CORE) The Center proposal “A platform for cell type-level transcriptomic, epigenomic and spatial interrogation of Alzheimer’s disease” proposal aims to combine expertise in AD pathology with expertise in new single cell molecular technologies to generate a new high resolution cellular and molecular understanding of the early pathogenesis of AD. The Center consists of three Research Projects, focusing on neuropathology, transcriptomics and epigenomics, and spatial transcriptomics; a Data Core, and an Administrative Core with seven PIs and three collaborative sites. Realizing the potential of this Center requires strong administrative leadership to integrate and synergize efforts across the collaborating researchers at the University of Washington, Kaiser/Group Health and the Allen Institute for Brain Science. The Administrative Core will provide the structure, leadership and operational management of the Center towards achievement of the overall Center goals to understand the cellular and molecular basis of the early pathogenesis of AD. This will include project management, strategic planning, progress reporting, fiscal management, and support for collaboration and communication. The Administrative Core will create an infrastructure that fosters communication and collaboration among the Center members, as well as garnering input from the external AD research community through the formation of an External Scientific Advisory committee. The Center will form a Steering Committee and Project Teams to oversee the collaborative, standardized, and on-time data generation, data analysis, and public data sharing process. Project management best practices, such as milestones, progress reporting and tracking, collaborative software programs, and a responsibility matrix will be applied to the Center to ensure achievement of performance objectives and milestones, optimized communication, and resource utilization and prioritization. In addition, the Core will foster joint data analysis efforts across projects and Institutions, including joint Analysis Working Groups and hackathons. Further, the Administrative Core will support the implementation of standard operating procedures and quality control standards for data generation, data processing, and analysis. To produce a high-quality data resource for high resolution neuropathological and omics analysis of Alzheimer’s disease, rigorous standardization and quality control practices will be adopted by all members. Finally, the Administrative Core will implement and maintain fiscal and subcontractor management processes for all members, manage publication and authorship decisions and conflict resolution. With the implementation of this entire infrastructure, we anticipate that this project and the resources it produces will have a broad and meaningful impact on gaining a deep molecular and cellular understanding of Alzheimer’s disease pathology and progression.

PROJECT NARRATIVE (ADMIN CORE) The Administrative Core will provide the leadership and organizational structure to align the efforts of the individual Institutions, projects and researchers to meet the Center goals and milestones. This will involve integrating and aligning the efforts of the three Research Projects (neuropathology, transcriptomics and epigenomics, and spatial transcriptomics) and the Data Core. The Administrative Core will oversee the operational management including strategic planning, project management, progress reporting, fiscal management, manuscript and authorship planning, conflict resolution and support for collaboration and communication to create, integrate, and disseminate to the community a molecular and cellular understanding of Alzheimer’s disease.