Where Discovery Meets Care
A Message From Grossman Center Director, Dongming Cai, MD, PhD
As Director of the Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care at the University of Minnesota, I am proud to launch our first newsletter and to update you on the progress we have made in building clinical research infrastructure and expanding community outreach and engagement.
The Grossman Center Brain Health Registry and Biorepository (R&B), launched in early 2025, is a longitudinal study of normal aging and dementia due to neurodegenerative diseases in participants age 45 or older. Currently we have 350-plus research participants and the recruitment is ongoing with a target goal of 1,000 clinical trial ready participants with diverse race and ethnic background in the next 3-4 years. One of our priorities is to expand community outreach and education on aging and dementia to underserved and rural communities. In parallel, we have followed national best practices for collecting and storing biospecimen from our research participants to build and maintain a high-quality biorepository that supports research today and for years to come. Every participant in our Registry and Biorepository is helping move the field forward. Their contributions bring us closer to earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, and ultimately, a future with less memory loss and suffering.
In this newsletter: In the Community | Clinical Excellence | Research and Training Updates
In the Community
- In January 2026, the Grossman Center hosted Navigate with Grace, a wellness retreat focused on memory care and community.
- The Grossman Center seeks people age 45+ with memory issues who are willing to share demographic information, medical history, and test their memory and thinking skills. Learn more about the Brain Health Study.
Clinical Excellence
- We are expanding anti-amyloid infusion therapies treatment options for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment through our Memory Clinic. Learn more about infusion therapies.
- Congratulations to Will Mantyh, MD, who was recently recognized as a 2026 Top Doctor: Rising Star in Mpls. St. Paul Magazine!
- Congratulations to Matti Matheson, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, who received the 2026 Outstanding Early Career Neurology Advanced Practice Provider Award from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN)!
Research and Training Updates
- In recognition of standout medical research in the initial testing and modeling phases, the Minneapolis VA Health Care System presented Dr. Cai the Preclinical Research Paper of the Year Award. Learn more about Dr. Cai's work and read the full journal article in Cell.
- Kenny Vetter, PhD candidate in Neuroscience, received a 2026-2028 UMN CTSI T32 Predoctoral Program award under the mentorship team of Dr. Dongming Cai, Dr. Manda Keller-Ross, and Dr. Rui Zhang. He will study the impact of menopause and glymphatic dysfunction on Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis as part his dissertation research.
- Drs. Yuan, Cai, and Ashe presented at the international AD/PD conference in Copenhagen in March 2026. Read more about their contributions to the conference.
- Shauna Yuan, MD, continues studies on music therapy for memory loss. Discover Ten Reasons Why Neurologists Should Refer Patients With Alzheimer Dementia to Music Therapy and read Dr. Yuan's recent article, "Music therapy interest in patients with Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementia: A survey study."
- Dr. Peng Liu's research, funded by the Alzheimer's Association, studies how a variation of tau protein forms clumps that hinder brain cell communication and promote early-stage dementia risk. Learn more about the research.
- Myriel, a University of Minnesota start-up co-founded by former Grossman Center Director, Karen Ashe, MD, PhD, is advancing a novel therapeutic approach targeting the underlying mechanisms of memory loss and dementia in neurodegenerative disorders. Learn more about the ongoing studies at Myriel.
- Dr. Will Mantyh presented at the EpiCH Seminar Series to highlight the need for more inclusive and population-specific research.
Review the list of our recent publications.