The trial is funded by a number of organisations, including Alzheimer’s Society and Imperial College, with support from other charities, pharmaceutical companies and the NHS.
Evidence suggests that there is a strong link between type 2 diabetes and development of Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes occurs when cells in the body cannot properly process a sugar known as glucose. It is thought that in Alzheimer’s disease, brain cells cannot use glucose properly, which may stop the cells from being able to function.
Volunteers in the trial will take the drug liraglutide or a placebo drug for a year. The researchers will use a variety of brain scans and memory tests to see the effect of liraglutide on the brain function and memory.
The current treatments available for Alzheimer’s alleviate the symptoms for a while but do not treat the underlying causes of the disease. It’s been over a decade since the last Alzheimer’s treatment was approved for use.
The advantage of testing an already-licensed drug as a dementia treatment is that the drug has already passed many of the required safety tests. This means that if the drug is shown to benefit people affected by dementia, it can be brought to those who need it sooner.
The trial is being led by Dr Paul Edison of Imperial College London. He said: “We are asking people who have mild Alzheimer’s disease to take part in this trial to find out whether liraglutide has any effect on the condition.
“Volunteering to take part in trials is a vital aspect of research and we very much appreciate the time and effort that our participants have put into this study already. The more people that take part, the quicker we will understand the potential effects that this drug may have on Alzheimer’s disease.”
Mr Alan Bayes from North London is participating in the liraglutide trial. He said: “When I was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, I was very interested in participating in a clinical trial as it offered me the opportunity of helping myself as well as others with the disease. I chose for this trial because there were promising early results and it is a licensed drug, and so, if effective, it could be available for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease fairly quickly.”
Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “It is estimated that 1300 people are living with Alzheimer’s disease in Cambridge with these numbers expected to rise. Effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are desperately needed and trials such as this are the way to find these treatments.”
If you are interested in taking part in the above study, please contact the team at 0208 383 3704 or 0208 383 1969 or e-mail: [email protected]
If you are interested in taking part in dementia research studies – whether it is just filling in a questionnaire or participating in a full scale trial such as this one - you can sign up to Join Dementia Research. This service will match you to suitable studies in your area and you do not need a diagnosis of dementia to sign up. Find out more at www.alzheimers.org.uk/joindementiaresearch
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Trial into potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment now recruiting in Cambridge
10 December 2015
A trial into a promising treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is looking for participants in Cambridge. The drug, liraglutide, is already used for the treatment of diabetes and has shown promising results in laboratory tests for Alzheimer’s and in a small preliminary study in people with the condition.