Borgess Research Institute has been selected as one of 12 clinics across the nation to conduct tests as part of a search for a new treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
The clinical research study being conducted will test the safety and whether patients can tolerate medication being investigated as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The medication being studied is given by intravenous infusion that takes one hour and is given once every 13 weeks for three times during the study.
Dr. Phillip Green who is leading the research at Borgess says they are taking a new approach to Alzheimer's treatment by trying to catch it early and stop its advance. Some existing treatments have been found to create new health concerns and side effects or provide only short-term help for the disease.
Researchers are seeking the biomarkers -- the proteins -- that can identify who has Alheimer's before there is significant mental deterioration.
What they have found in Alzheimer's patients is beta amyloids, or protein fragments that would normally break down instead accumulate into insoluble plaques in the brain. In other cases, tau proteins that normal create microtubes to transports nutrients, instead collapse in Alzheimer's sufferers and create tangles.
The particular research Borgess is doing for Janssen and Pfizer is studying whether changes can be made on the molecular level through an injection. The drug, which has made it through trial to determine it is safe for people to take, is being tested to determine the dosage that works best and is safest.
Borgess Research Institute was asked to be part of the study based on its past performance in similar research projects. It has had an ongoing research relationships working with scientists at Upjohn, Pharmacia and Pfizer.
The research team is seeking volunteers already experiencing mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Study participation lasts about 47 weeks and includes approximately 15 visits to the study doctor and six telephone calls.
Writer: Kathy JenningsSource: Dr Phillip Green, Borgess Research Institute
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