Year End Updates from MADRC

Quarterly E-News from MADRC. Winter 2022

Encouraging News About Alzheimer’s Drug Announced

Japanese drugmaker Eisai presented the results of its Phase 3 clinical trial (CLARITY AD) at the Clinical Trials on Alzheimer’s Disease (CTAD) conference last month. The trial evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Lecanemab, an experimental drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Results indicated that the drug helped slow cognitive decline in patients in the early stages of the disease.

Lecanemab is a monoclonal antibody designed to target amyloid plaques in the brain which are an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. The same drug is being studied locally within MADRC as part of the AHEAD study at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

“The AHEAD study is testing Lecanemab in a much earlier stage of AD than the Clarity AD trial,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, and co-principal investigator of the AHEAD Study. “The ability to identify people at risk for developing cognitive decline due to AD based on amyloid PET provides the opportunity to test whether early intervention can delay cognitive decline.”

The AHEAD study is the first ever clinical trial to test the effect of Lecanemab in people who have no cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but in whom biomarker tests indicate amyloid is present in the brain, known as “preclinical” AD. The AHEAD study is also the first AD trial to recruit people as young as 55 years old who are at risk of developing symptoms of AD as they get older.

The AHEAD study will test whether the clinical effects reported in the Clarity AD clinically symptomatic population are similar in the AHEAD preclinical AD population. For more information about AHEAD, visit www.studymemory.org or call (617) 278-0600.

Research Participants Are

Critical to Progress

Study participants are leading the way to treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia. They are vital to our work, and we could not advance science without them! There are several MADRC studies currently seeking participants living with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Early Alzheimer’s disease.

Click on the links below to learn more about each study and whether you may be eligible to participate:

For a complete list of studies seeking participants, visit: madrc.org/join-a-study/

All Are Welcome

Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, affect everyone. Having research volunteers who are diverse in race, gender, ethnicity, age and identity is critical to finding treatments that work for everyone.

Our center has research opportunities available for all people, whether you are cognitively healthy, have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or related dementia, or are just concerned about your memory and thinking.

Hope & Empowerment Through Research

Recently a group of our study participants shared the stories of their research journeys. Watch here to learn about their experiences with studies at both BWH and MGH.

VIDEO LINK

New Series Launching in 2023!

MADRC is excited to launch a new community education series in 2023 called “Talk with the Doc(tor)!” Registration is open for the first program to be held on Friday, January 20th at 12PM EST. Dr. Steven Arnold will present, Making a Difference Through Research, followed by a Q&A with the audience. Register for this virtual program here: madrc.org/events/

Be on the lookout for details about the February program which will be in Spanish!

Seasons Greetings from the Outreach, Recruitment & Engagement Team!