Genomics · Database
NIAGADS Open Access
Open-access Alzheimer's disease genetics, variant annotations, and GWAS summary statistics for researchers.
What NIAGADS Open Access is
NIAGADS Open Access is a public genomics repository established to share genetic and genomic resources for Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and aging. Operating as the National Institute on Aging Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease Data Storage Site, it is maintained through a collaborative agreement between the University of Pennsylvania and the National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA).
While individual-level sequencing data within NIAGADS often requires credentialed qualified access through its Data Sharing Service, the open-access portal provides public resources directly. These include curated genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics, genome-wide association findings, variant annotations from the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), and functional genomics tracks.
How it is organised
NIAGADS organises its holdings into distinct access pathways. The open-access resources are distributed via a public file portal and dedicated annotation tools. Curated data includes summary-level GWAS association records, ADSP variant annotations, and the FILER functional-genomics track catalogue, covering 38 Alzheimer datasets.
Key facts
- Established
- 2012
- Funding
- NIH/NIA collaborative agreement U24-AG041689
- Available datasets
- 38 Alzheimer datasets
- Data types
- GWAS summary statistics, ADSP variant annotations, FILER functional-genomics tracks
- Domain
- Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and aging
What you can use it for
- GWAS summary statistics retrieval
- Inspect and download curated summary statistics and genetic association records from genome-wide studies on Alzheimer's disease.
- Variant annotation analysis
- Examine variant-level annotations generated by the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project to evaluate candidate genetic variants.
- Functional genomics exploration
- Search and cross-reference regulatory and genomic features through the FILER functional-genomics track catalogue.
Query it here
The research agent queries NIAGADS Open Access directly — no account, no API key — and every answer links back to the record it came from. Ask in plain language and it writes the query.
Strengths and limits
Good at
- Distributes curated Alzheimer's disease genetic data publicly without requiring qualified-access data agreements.
- Brings together ADSP variant annotations, GWAS summary statistics, and functional genomics tracks from the FILER catalogue.
- Maintained under a direct collaborative partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and the US National Institute on Aging.
Watch out for
- Does not include primary sequencing datasets from the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project, which are restricted to the qualified-access Data Sharing Service.
- Focus is restricted to Alzheimer's disease, related dementias, and aging genetics rather than broader human traits.
Questions
Can I search NIAGADS Open Access without writing code?
Yes. The research agent queries NIAGADS Open Access directly, with no account or API key, and cites the record behind every answer. Ask in plain language — for a gene, a protein, a compound or a study — and it builds the query for you.
Can I reuse data from NIAGADS Open Access?
Open access for research use, with attribution to the contributing studies. Only the open-access tier is reachable here. Controlled-access NIAGADS data needs dbGaP approval. Terms: https://www.niagads.org/open-access
What is the difference between NIAGADS Open Access and the NIAGADS Data Sharing Service (DSS)?
The Data Sharing Service (DSS) manages controlled-access data from the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project and other studies that require application and identity verification. NIAGADS Open Access provides summary statistics, annotation files, and catalogue tracks directly through a public portal without application requirements.
What data collections are included in the open-access portal?
It provides 38 Alzheimer datasets, including curated GWAS summary statistics, association data, ADSP variant annotations, and the FILER functional-genomics track catalogue.
Does the resource cover dementias other than Alzheimer's disease?
Yes, its holdings cover Alzheimer's disease, aging, and related dementias, including frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Written from NIAGADS Open Access's own website and reference material. Statements citing a figure that does not appear there are removed before publication. Licence and running details come from our registry.