Clinical Research Studies

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Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center
Seeking Volunteers for Clinical Research Studies

Research is vital to unlocking the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease and other related disorders. Without the active participation of patients and healthy older persons, research into these disabling diseases cannot proceed. Therefore, we at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center are seeking volunteers who are willing to participate in memory-related research studies. We are currently recruiting both people with memory problems and people without memory problems.

People without memory problems must be between the ages of 40 and 90.
People with memory problems may be of any age but must have a caregiver or companion who is willing to accompany them to their research appointments

Our clinic is located at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Seattle neighborhood of Beacon Hill. All members of the public are eligible to participate and participation is at no cost. Some studies provide reimbursement for travel and time.

Many drug studies are called "double-blind, placebo-controlled" studies. These terms mean that participants may receive either the medication that is being studied or a placebo, which is a pill that looks the same as the medication but contains no medication or active ingredients. During the study, neither the research participant nor the study staff knows whether the research participant is taking the medication or placebo. In some studies, research participants may be offered a free trial of the medication after the study has finished. The details about all of these studies are available at the University of Washington’s Web site for research volunteers seeking studies: http://www.washington.edu/healthresearch/

OR for more information about any of these studies, you can also call our research center at: 206-764-2069 or 1-800-317-5382

Studies for which we are currently enrolling research volunteers:

New research approach for Alzheimer's disease--experimental immunity drug

This is a study to determine if a new experimental drug is safe and well-tolerated in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The drug we are testing is an antibody. An antibody is a type of protein usually made by white blood cells to destroy other substances in the body. In Alzheimer’s disease a protein called amyloid gathers in the brain and is thought to cause symptoms such as memory loss and confusion. It is hoped that this antibody will attach to the amyloid protein in the brain and help the body to remove it.

We are currently enrolling people with AD in a 13-week study testing the administration of this antibody given as a shot subcutaneously (given under the skin). One-fourth of the study participants will receive placebo (salt water with no study drug in it) and three-fourths will receive study drug.

This study is what is called a “Phase I” study. That means that we are looking at whether the study drug causes side effects in people, not whether it helps with the symptoms of AD. However, participants who complete the 13-week study may be eligible to participate in an on-going open label study of the antibody, which is studying whether the drug helps with the symptoms of AD. An open label study means that all of the participants will receive the active medication and no one will receive a placebo.

To be considered for this study a person must have mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, must be living at home or in an assisted living setting, and must have a caregiver who is willing to come with the person to all of their research appointments.

A study of an Omega-3 fatty acid in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

You may have heard about Omega-3 fatty acids in the news or at your local grocery store--these nutrients have shown some promising scientific results for heart and eye health. Now we hope to learn if one Omega-3, called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), can slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

This study will use a pure form of DHA that is made from algae, contains no fish contaminants, and is generally recognized as a safe nutritional supplement by the US Food and Drug Administration.

To be considered for this study you must:

Be age 50 or older and fluent in English
Have mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease
Have companion who can accompany you to all clinic visits or answer questions over the phone
Not be a current resident of an assisted living or a long-term care facility

This is an 18-month study. Volunteers will be assigned to one of two groups: 60% will receive DHA and the remaining 40% will receive a placebo. Study visits will be scheduled about once every 3 months.

Study of possible Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers

Today, the only certain method of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease is to wait until a person has died and then examine part of their brain under a microscope. Biomarkers may help us identify Alzheimer’s disease much earlier. Biomarkers may help doctors see how different medications affect specific Alzheimer’s disease patients and may be useful to help tailor treatment to individual patients. Knowledge about biomarkers may help us to develop new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease or to discover the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

Our search for biomarkers begins with a procedure known as a lumbar puncture (or spinal tap), which takes about an hour. In this procedure, one of our doctors draws a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from a research participant. After the lumbar puncture, the body naturally replaces the missing cerebrospinal fluid within 3 to 4 hours.

Using these methods, we hope to identify new biomarkers that may help unlock the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease.

Participation in this study consists of two research visits per year. Persons with and without Alzheimer’s disease or memory problems are eligible.

A study of the medication prazosin in the treatment of
difficult behaviors experienced by
some persons with Alzheimer’s disease

Some people with Alzheimer’s disease restlessly pace and become overly anxious. They may become uncooperative and resistant to care; they may even strike out or show other angry behaviors. Our previous research has found that a medication called prazosin may be able to calm these behaviors. Prazosin is available by prescription to treat high blood pressure, but is considered experimental for the purpose of treating agitation. The medication is not as sedating as other medications that are prescribed for agitation, and a person can remain on most other medications while taking prazosin.

In this study, we are seeking to test the effectiveness of prazosin in treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. We are enrolling people with AD or related disorders that live at home and are available for a 10-week study which includes two clinic visits and telephone follow-up between the two clinic visits. Participants will receive either prazosin or a placebo. At the end of the eight-week study, our research doctors will be happy to consult with the participant’s regular doctor to provide individually tailored treatment recommendations based upon how the participant responded during the study.

adrcweb@u.washington.edu
Please remember that we cannot guarantee the confidentiality of any information sent by email.
UW ADRC Director--Murray Raskind, M.D.
UW ADRC Education and Training Director--Linda Teri, Ph.D.
Last Modified: Friday, 27-Jul-2007 07:48:48 PDT