APEX Study
The Alzheimer’s Plasma Extension (APEX) Study is a multicenter, observational study on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) related brain changes being conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and University of Southern California (USC). An observational study is where researchers look at (or observe) changes over time without any study treatments. In this study, researchers will look at changes in blood tests, memory, and other factors that may predict who will accumulate brain amyloid over time, as well as factors that may help preserve memory and thinking in older individuals who do not develop elevated amyloid levels.
The APEX Study consists of one in-person visit every year for four years in which blood samples, memory tests and questionnaires will be collected. Participation in this study will help researchers identify changes in blood tests, memory, and brain health that may occur years before people develop elevated brain amyloid and cognitive impairment and inform future clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease.
Trial-Ready Cohort- Down Syndrome (TRC-DS)
The Trial-Ready Cohort- Down Syndrome (TRC-DS) aims to enroll 450 non-demented adults (ages 25-55) with Down syndrome (DS) into a trial ready cohort (TRC). Participants enrolled in the TRC-DS will undergo longitudinal cognitive and clinical assessment, genetic and biomarker testing, as well as imaging and biospecimen collection. Using these outcome measures, researchers will analyze the relationships between cognitive measures and biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to identify endpoints for AD clinical trials in DS that best reflect disease progression.
Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Study (LEADS)
The LEADS study – or the Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Study (LEADS) explores the development of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and how it compares to the more common late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Better understanding of this form of the disease may ultimately lead to more effective treatments. LEADS is a 2-year observational study designed to enroll 500 participants. Researchers are also recruiting cognitively normal volunteers for a 1-year comparison.
Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy
If you are 50 years of age or older, you can monitor your own cognitive health by participating in the Alzheimer Prevention Trials (APT) Webstudy. The APT Webstudy is designed to identify people who may have an increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, using the latest technology to monitor their cognitive performance through regular online memory testing. Volunteers of the APT Webstudy participate at their convenience, anywhere they have access to the internet.
If you are interested in the AlzMatch Study, it is currently on a hiatus. If you would like to be considered for the AlzMatch Study in the future, please begin participation in the APT Webstudy. Future invitations to AlzMatch will go out to eligible APT Webstudy participants.
Synaptic Therapy Alzheimer’s Research Trial
This study is investigating whether CT1812, a novel and promising therapeutic candidate can halt or slow the process of Alzheimer’s disease. The START Study is a nationwide clinical trial and will enroll approximately 540 individuals. Participants aged 50 to 85 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Alzheimer’s disease, or mild Alzheimer’s disease who have elevated amyloid in the brain (as measured by PET or CSF), are sought. Participants will be randomized to receive CT1812 or placebo for 18 months. In addition to a battery of cognitive measures, the study will use a variety of biomarkers to evaluate target engagement and assess changes in neurodegeneration and disease progression.
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)
The Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a landmark study that began in 2004, is a public-private research partnership tasked with identifying biomarkers to detect Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The study has gathered and analyzed thousands of brain scans, genetic profiles and biomarkers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and was designed to enable researchers to follow AD as it progresses in an individual, from various points in the disease process. The newest iteration of the study, called ADNI4, aims to recruit 750 new participants age 55-90 and bring over 750 rollover participants from ADNI3.
Life’s End Benefits of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol (LiBBY)
Approximately fifty percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia will receive hospice care at the end of their life. Of these, over seventy percent will be prescribed psychiatric medications for management of agitation. Recent research suggests that derivatives of cannabis can be beneficial in controlling agitation and distress without the side effects of medications commonly used to treat agitation. This project aims to test the efficacy of an oral combination of two cannabinoids, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), for the treatment of agitation in participants with a diagnosis of dementia who are eligible for hospice and experiencing agitation. The study will recruit 150 participants from 15 clinical trial sites in the United States over a 2-year period. To facilitate recruitment and retention and to monitor long-term safety of the THC/CBD combination, completers of the double-blind study will then have the option to participate in a 3-month, open-label extension study.
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Clinical Trial Platform (PTP)
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) is a severe neurodegenerative disease for which there are currently no effective treatments. The study aims to determine the safety, tolerability, and clinical proof of concept for at least three different tau-directed or neuroprotective therapies combatting PSP.
Alzheimer’s Tau Platform (ATP) Study
Tau protein is an important target in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and there is now strong evidence that tau in brain is closely linked to worsening of cognition and other symptoms. The Alzheimer’s Tau Platform (ATP) Study is a multicenter clinical trial to determine the safety, tolerability and biological proof of at least two different tau-directed therapies. It is being designed and conducted by the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) through a public-private partnership with the National Institute on Aging (NIH) and industry collaborators. It is being led by two academic principal investigators: Dr. Adam Boxer from the University of California, San Francisco and Dr. Keith Johnson from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical Center.
AHEAD Study
AHEAD Study is a global multicenter clinical trial aimed at preventing memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease, designed and conducted by the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) in collaboration with Eisai. Funding is through a public-private partnership with National Institute on Aging (NIH), Eisai, and several philanthropic organizations. It is led by three academic principal investigators: Dr. Paul Aisen from University of Southern California, and Drs. Reisa Sperling and Keith Johnson from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School.