Clinical trials and Alzheimer’s disease

Are you finding yourself fighting to remember things as time goes on? Is your mind struggling to think clearly? If you are between the ages of 50 and 85 it’s possible that you may be experiencing the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Advocate Memory Center is looking for participants for a clinical trial of patients with mild cognitive impairment (also called prodromal Alzheimer’s disease). Therapies and treatments that could help delay memory loss and the disabilities that are accompanied with Alzheimer’s disease are in high demand. The purpose of this study is to try and judge the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication called aducanumab and see if it has the ability to slow these symptoms.

The clinical trial is a Phase 3 study and to qualify for participation one must be 50 to 85 years of age and be experiencing symptoms of memory loss that might be related to early Alzheimer’s disease.

By being a part of this study participants are given an opportunity to be involved in something that can help future generations and make a difference in the world, all while learning more about the disease and gaining access to a treatment that is not widely available.

Dr. Darren Gitelman, a behavioral neurology specialist at the Advocate Memory Center at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill., is the principal investigator at Advocate of this trial.

“There is never any obligation, but many patients like to participate in clinical trials because it gives them a sense of contributing to the research within the field, and also may provide access to potentially newer treatments and therapies,” he says.

As a requirement for the study each participant needs to have a study partner, which is someone who knows them well and can attend visits and provide information when necessary.

The trial will take place over about a year and a half, in which participants will make visits once or twice a month. During the clinical trial each participant will receive either the experimental drug, aducanumab, or a placebo, which is a substance that looks like the study medication but does not have any active drug in it. Neither the study doctors nor the participants will know who is receiving the placebo versus the active study drug. Over the course of the study, participants will undergo a series of tests, measuring both their memory and their physical health in order to observe the effects of the drug. For participants that complete this initial study there will be the option to participate in an extension study for another two years, during which all participants will receive one of two doses of the active study medication.

There have been many attempts to find a cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and so far there has not been any approved treatment to slow the course of the condition. This study looks to further research on a potential disease-modifying treatment option for early Alzheimer’s disease.

The Advocate Memory Center is looking to find more participants for this trial. If you or someone you know may qualify or are interested in learning more about the study you can visit this site to explore it further, click here, or you can call the study research coordinator, Sherri Loeb, RN (847) 720-6457.