What Is Dementia?
Dementia is an umbrella term for a variety of conditions that cause progressive damage to the brain. It is a symptom that occurs in over 100 conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia or Lewy Body dementia.
Dementia can begin as a gradual or step-wise decrease in your memory, ability to retrieve words or name things or ability to perform your daily activities. Dementia may also cause personality changes and mood problems.
Diagnosis involves a completed medical examination that involves medical imaging, cognitive assessments and a thorough history. Any diagnosis made is through the principal investigator (Professor David Barton) who will discuss this diagnosis with you and your family. Neurocentrix offers counselling for trial participants who receive a new diagnosis.
What Are Common Warning Signs of Early Dementia?
- Forgetfulness, suggested by misplacing items, missing appointments, repeating the same topic or question
- Difficulty with familiar tasks such as making tea, brushing teeth, using appliances
- Language difficulties, such as referring to common items as “thing” or “that”, or difficulty forming a long sentence or understanding instructions
- Confusion about time and place, such as suddenly not knowing where you are or why, or not knowing how to get home.
- Frequently forgetting the date or day
- Impaired judgement causing difficulty in judging distances, not taking usual precautions such as turning off the stove, wearing the wrong clothes for the season or driving erratically
- Changes in personality and mood, more irritable or agitated, more suspicious, being socially inappropriate, losing interest in usual activities or withdrawing socially
How Do You Benefit by Participating in a Clinical Trial?
- Regular consultation with a specialist in memory disorders
- Supportive counselling for carers with experienced staff
- Discussing strategies for dealing with behavioural concerns
- Receiving early recommendations to support services
- Carers report that participation is a positive experience
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Clinical trials provide the opportunity to gain access to new treatments that are being investigated as disease modifying therapies. They may delay the course of Alzheimer’s disease or protect the brain from further damage and could potentially improve a patient’s quality of life.
The increase in knowledge gained, even if a particular treatment doesn’t work, may help future generations.
Current Studies
Trailblazer 5 Study
The TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 5 study will test if an investigational medicine is safe and effective in people with symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease could be caused by a build-up of amyloid proteins in the brain. These amyloid proteins can stick together and form tiny clumps known as amyloid plaques. Amyloid plaques may lead to problems with memory and thinking. The investigational medicine being tested in the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 5 study may remove amyloid plaques and could slow memory loss.
You may be able to join this study if you:
• Are aged 60 to 85 years old.
• Have memory problems that have slowly worsened over time.
• Have a trusted study partner.
XanaMIA Study
This XanaMIA Phase 2b study is to investigate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of an oral investigational medication in mild or moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Trial participants will be randomized to either receive 10mg of the trial medication once daily, or a placebo, for 36 weeks.
You may be eligible to join this study if you:
- Are aged 50 years or older
- Have memory problems that have slowly worsened over time.
- Have a reliable study partner who can attend all on-site study visits with you.
The study doctor will also check other eligibility requirements.
Janssen: RETAIN Study - Recruitment Paused
The study is evaluating whether an investigational product is safe, tolerable, and effective at slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms in those who are at risk.
Participants will have a 50/50 chance of receiving the investigational product or a placebo (a substance that looks like the investigational product but contains no active ingredients). Both the investigational product and placebo will be given as an injection in the arm. The study will last up to 4 years and will involve up to 23 study visits and 5 phone calls. You may play a role in helping to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease for future generations by participating in this study.
When it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, it can help to be proactive those at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease may be eligible for a clinical research study. Alzheimer’s disease begins long before symptoms show—10 to 20 years before thinking or memory problems appear.
You or your loved one may be able to participate in the study if you or they:
- Are 55 to 75 years of age
- Have normal memory, mood, thinking, and behavioral patterns and are concerned about the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
- Have a reliable study partner who is willing to attend some study visits with the participant (a study partner is a relative, partner, or friend over the age of 18 who has weekly contact with the participant)
If this is something that you are interested in and are looking for further information, please provide your preferred contact details below and one of our recruitment officers will be in contact with you.
Target Tau-1 - No longer recruiting
The purpose of this study is to learn more about an investigational drug called BMS-986446 to see if it could be used safely and effectively to treat mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease, or mild Alzheimer’s dementia. It will also test its effects on memory, thinking, and daily functioning.
You may be eligible to join this study if you:
- Are 50-80 years old.
- Have memory problems that have slowly worsened over time.
- Have a study partner with whom you spend at least 8 hours per week (such as a spouse, friend, or an adult child) who can attend some study visits with you during the study and provide follow-up information.
You will have medical tests done and your medical history will be reviewed to find out if you can be in the study. Procedures will be performed over 3 separate visits.
If the study is suitable for you, , you will be randomly assigned to study treatment with one of 2 doses of BMS-986446 or placebo (a substance that looks like the investigational drug but contains no active ingredient). The study treatment will be given as an intravenous (IV) infusion (via a vein, usually in your arm) every 4 weeks for about 18 months. During the study treatment period you will have regular blood draws, complete surveys and thinking/memory tests, have brain imaging (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and positron emission tomography [PET] scans), and other study assessments.
After completing this study, you may be eligible to participate in a long-term extension study in which all participants will receive study treatment with BMS-986446. There is no placebo used in the long-term extension study.
Interested to participate in a clinical trial?
Please contact the Research Team with your preferred method.
Neurocentrix Head Office
- Suite 3 Level 1, 19-21 Argyle Place South, Carlton 3053
- research@neurocentrix.com.au
- 03 9546 0009
- 03 9959 8375
Request an appointment or send an enquiry
Fields marked with * (asterisk) are required.
By entering your contact details, you agree to receive information from NeuroCentrix in the future that we believe may be relevant to you. Naturally, you can unsubscribe any time.