Quarterly E-News from MADRC. Spring 2023
Dementia Research Updates
Research is changing the landscape of how we think about, treat, and diagnose people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. It’s more important than ever to recruit volunteers to join research efforts to find answers and move science forward!
 
Recently MADRC investigators Steve Arnold and Gad Marshall provided progress updates on dementia research. Both doctors gave presentations as part of the MADRC Talk With the Doc(tor) series. Click on images to the right to watch.
The Positives from a Negative Study Outcome

Recent results from an international clinical trial to prevent Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s study (“A4 Study”), showed that the investigational drug, Solanezumab, when compared to placebo, did not slow memory loss. For a detailed report of results see the press release here. 

While these results are disappointing, every study conducted helps scientists learn and make new advancements. Here are some of the positives that participants in the A4 Study contributed to:

  • This was the first of its kind secondary prevention trial in cognitively asymptomatic older adults with biomarker risk for AD (elevated amyloid noted on PET scan) using a disease-modifying drug (in this case, an anti-amyloid drug). As such, there were many unknowns going into this trial that had to be figured out before and during the trial. It was, therefore a great opportunity to change how we think about Alzheimer’s disease and its treatment.

  • This trial showed us that we can design and execute a clinical trial in preclinical AD (individuals with biological evidence of AD but no significant symptoms). Again, something that has never been done before so no small feat. In order to be successful in future prevention trials, we needed this first one under our belts to pave the way.

  • We were able to define an at-risk population (based on a biomarker)—we were able to identify the individuals who were likely going to develop symptoms of AD over time in order to include them in such a prevention trial.

  • We developed new outcome measures (clinical assessments and biomarker tests) that were appropriate for this stage of disease (most of the tests we had before were aimed at dementia or mild cognitive impairment and were not sensitive enough).

  • We learned a lot about how to recruit participants for such a prevention trial (community advocacy, registries, existing cohorts, etc.).

  • We learned how to disclose biomarker results to participants (these types of results were previously only disclosed to individuals who already had symptoms of AD). We learned how to address the participants’ psychological well-being, concerns, and stigma in this context.

  • All the work that went into the A4 study has already informed the design of other prevention trials, such as AHEAD. Therefore, we were able to learn from A4 and design better trials, which will hopefully result in effective treatments.

  • The A4 large and rich dataset will be available to answer many questions about early-stage AD over the coming years. Research projects that will be done using this data will surely better inform early diagnosis and treatment of AD and spawn new ideas and directions.
Get Involved!

It’s an exciting time to be involved with brain disease research. If you’ve thought about volunteering for a study and wonder what the experience would be like, you can learn from some of our research participants directly. Just click on the image below to watch our Hope & Empowerment Through Research video.
Join us April 21st at noon to learn about the best practices for care management in each stage of dementia. Dr. Christine Ritchie and Judy Johanson will present Navigating the Caregiver Journey via Zoom.
Join MADRC for Navigating the Caregiver Journey on Friday, April 21st at noon via Zoom! If you are a caregiver for someone living with dementia, you won’t want to miss this program! Click image above for details.
Questions about research? Call us at (617) 278-0600