MIAMI, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. More than five million people are living with it. By 2050, experts predict that number will rise to 14 million. Treatments have been historically difficult to come by, with just one new drug approved in the past two decades. Now, researchers are testing an investigational drug for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s, LIFT-AD.
Cindy Raucci loves to work out. It keeps her body and mind healthy. Since her dementia diagnosis six years ago, her husband, Frank, is with her around the clock, and every day, the simple things get harder.
Raucci and her family are constantly searching for new therapies that might stop her decline. Raucci participated in one clinical trial in the past.
“I could tell it [the medicine]was helping her, and after they closed the study down, we were, then, informed that she was actually getting the drug,” Cindy’s husband, Frank explained.
Premier Research Institute neurologist, Paul Winner said, “Lately, in research, we have been using anti-body therapy to remove amyloid and tau, and they are showing us some benefit.”
Dr. Winner is now involved in another trial, the Lift- Alzheimer’s disease, or LIFT-AD, clinical trial. Researchers are testing an investigational drug, known now as ATH 1017, which is a small injection that patients take at home. The goal is to slow down the effects of Alzheimer’s on patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
“In the future, depending on the time that we make the diagnosis, we will use different medicines at different times,” Dr. Winner mentioned.
Right now, the Raucci’s are doing everything in their power to keep Cindy’s mind active, and they hope that scientists will find something that stops the progression before it’s too late.
“I worry about how it will be 5 years from now, or 3 years from now,” Frank added.
The LIFT-AD trial is continuing to enroll patients until October. Researchers expect the first results from the trial in about a year. For more information about the trial, go to https://www.athiraclinicaltrials.com/
Contributors to this news report include: Neki, Producer; Judy, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
https://act-ad.org/about-act-ad/
https://www.alzheimers.gov/clinical-trials/ath-1017-mild-moderate-alzheimers-disease
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: LIFT-AD TRIAL FOR MODERATE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
REPORT: MB #5032
BACKGROUND: Advancing age is the most significant risk factor for Alzheimer’s. Only five percent of cases occur in people younger than 65. Early-onset Alzheimer’s affects approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 percent to 80 percent of dementia cases. Women account for almost two-thirds of Americans with the disorder. Non-white populations are also at higher risk for Alzheimer’s, for reasons that remain unclear. Silent changes in the brain occur up to ten years before Alzheimer’s symptoms appear.
DIAGNOSING: The first symptoms of Alzheimer’s may vary from person to person. Memory problems are typically one of the first signs of cognitive impairment related to Alzheimer’s disease. Decline in non-memory aspects of cognition may also signal the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and some people may be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. As the disease progresses, people experience greater memory loss and other cognitive difficulties. Alzheimer’s is often diagnosed at a moderate stage. Signs include memory loss, poor judgment leading to bad decisions, loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative, taking longer to complete normal daily tasks, repeating questions, trouble handling money and paying bills, wandering and getting lost, losing things or misplacing them in odd places, mood and personality changes, and increased anxiety or aggression.
(Source: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-signs-alzheimers-disease)
NEW STUDY: New IDEAS is a study from the Alzheimer’s Association and the American College of Radiology on mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Four thousand of the projected 7,000 New IDEAS participants will be Black and Hispanic. Historically, Blacks and Hispanics haven’t been represented fully in Alzheimer’s and dementia clinical studies, and this study seeks to ensure that the results represent all racial and ethnic groups. The research study will examine brain amyloid positron emission tomography scans in diverse populations with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
(Source: https://www.alz.org/research/new-ideas-study)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Julie Rathbun
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