Clinical Trials Bring Cures
Without clinical trials, there can be no better treatments, no prevention, and no cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
FDA approved drug trials designed to either prevent Alzheimer’s or slow its progression in the earliest stages of disease. Our trials are free of charge to all participants. Through these trials, we are able to bring hope for today and solutions for tomorrow. Our goal is to find a solution for Alzheimer’s disease, not for your grandchildren, but for you.
Recruiting and retaining trial participants is now the greatest obstacle, other than funding, to developing the next generation of Alzheimer’s treatments. Individuals with dementia, caregivers, and healthy volunteers are all urgently needed to participate in clinical trials focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Getting Involved
The first step to participating in our clinical research trials is knowing if you qualify. Anyone interested, who fits within the age range of the trials currently enrolling, will have to fill out a consent form for the release of medical records. Our research team will review your medical records to see if you qualify for any of our studies. They will then contact you to let you know whether you qualify for any of our studies that are enrolling.
For more information, please contact our Research Department at 706-653-8455.
Frequently Asked Questions – A great guide from our friends at Axsome.
What is a clinical research study?
Clinical research studies are designed to answer specific questions about the safety or effectiveness of drugs, vaccines, other therapies, or new ways of using existing medications. Studies are important for medical research advances. Current treatments for diseases and conditions are only available because of study volunteers.
Learn more about clinical studies at: www.nimh.nih.gov/health/trials/index.html
What is an investigational medication?
An investigational medication is a substance that is being tested in clinical research studies that is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of this condition.
What is a placebo?
A placebo looks like the investigational medication but has no active medication in it. Researchers compare the results of the investigational medication to those of the placebo.
Will I get Drug or Placebo?
Columbus Memory Center is a blinded center, meaning that our study coordinators and Dr. Liss do not know if the patient will get drug or placebo. This is to ensure the integrity of the data collected and the usefulness of the drug being studied.
Are research studies safe?
Research studies are typically conducted by a trained medical professional. An Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews all research studies. This is a committee made up of doctors, ethicists, and members of the general public and administrators. This group helps to ensure that the rights of research participants are protected. A participant’s regular doctor is responsible for their well-being, and they may want to speak with their doctor before agreeing to participate in a study as there are possible risks associated with participation. Whenever someone agrees to enter a study, they are given the name and telephone number of a contact in their study physician’s office who will answer their questions as well as a contact for the institutional review board overseeing the study, whom they can contact if they have questions or concerns.
Questioned gathered by Council Member Jerry “Pop” Barnes can be found Under “Your Questions Answered”
Currently Enrolling Clinical Trials:
Ages: 55-80
Ahead 3-45: This study is to determine whether treatment with BAN2401 is superior to placebo as well as determining if treatment is superior to placebo to reducing brain amyloid accumulation as measured by amyloid PET and tau accumulation with tau PET.
Website: Ahead Study
Ages: 55-85
Neurotrope: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, confirmatory Phase 2 study assessing the safety, tolerability and long-term efficacy of Bryostatin in the treatment of moderately severe Alzheimer’s Disease subjects not receiving memantine treatment.
Ages: 65-95
Axsome (AXS-05): In Addition to cognitive decline, people with Alzheimer’s Disease typically experience behavioral and psychological symptoms including agitation and aggression. This Axsome study is an oral treatment for those with these symptoms to study possible benefits of this drug.
Ages: 50-87
Cassava (simufilam): Designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral simufilam 100 mg in enhancing cognition and slowing cognitive and functional decline over 52 weeks. Secondary objectives include the assessment of simufilam’s effect on neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver burden.
Ages: 50-80
ApolloE4 (ALZ-801): is being developed by Alzheon as a potential disease-modifying treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease to slow or arrest disease progression. The study drug ALZ-801 is an orally administered prodrug of tramiprosate that is designed to inhibit the formation of toxic amyloid oligomers.
Age: 60-80
SKYLINE: will study an investigational drug that targets amyloid beta. We’re particularly interested in hearing from people with a family history of Alzheimer’s or dementia.
To take part, they must:
- Not be experiencing any memory or thought-processing problems
- Not be diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s or dementia
- Be interested in learning about their risk of developing Alzheimer’s
- Able to join with a study partner. The study partner will provide emotional and practical support to the participant for the duration of the study
Sign-up to pre-screen with a study coordinator who will help choose the right study for you. Each study has its own requirements and our study coordinator can explain each step, test and visit to our facility.