INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE (INCLUDE)

The INCLUDE program aims to investigate conditions that affect individuals with Down syndrome and the general population, such as Alzheimer's disease/dementia, autism, cataracts, celiac disease, congenital heart disease, and diabetes.

The INCLUDE (INvestigation of Co-occurring conditions across the Lifespan to Understand Down syndromE) Project, launched in 2018, is an NIH-wide initiative focused on improving health and quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome (DS) by studying conditions that affect both the DS and general populations. Areas of interest include:

• Risk and resilience factors: Understanding why people with DS show differing susceptibility to conditions common in the general population (e.g., Alzheimer's disease/dementia, autism, cataracts, celiac disease, congenital heart disease, diabetes, etc).
• Basic science on chromosome 21: Targeted, high-risk/high-reward basic science studies on chromosome 21 and Down syndrome
• Cohort development: Assembling a large cohort of individuals with DS across the lifespan, tracking health data from birth to adulthood
• Clinical trial inclusion: Including individuals with DS in existing and future clinical trials
• Data, biospecimen, and infrastructure resources: Biorepositories, data coordinating centers, and shared research infrastructure to support DS research broadly
• Trainee support: Growing the pipeline of early-career and new investigators in Down syndrome research

Visit https://www.nih.gov/include-project for more information.