Oxford Health recruiting patients for major Alzheimer's treatment trial
The trial will test multiple potential Alzheimer's treatments at the same time
Oxford Health is recruiting people with Alzheimer's disease to take part in a major new UK trial which could help speed up the search for effective treatments.
The Trust is among more than 30 sites planned across the country to recruit participants for the AD-SMART trial, which can test several potential Alzheimer's treatments at the same time.
It is the first UK Alzheimer's trial to use an adaptive multi-arm platform design, which researchers believe could more than halve the time it takes to evaluate potential treatments.
Professor Vanessa Raymont, psychiatrist at the University of Oxford and Director of Dementias Platform UK, said: "What platform trials do is they run more than one of those treatment arms alongside a placebo arm. So it's much more efficient because we don't have to have as many people not taking the drug.
"And what it also means is that if, as the trial is running, one of the drugs doesn't seem to be doing very well and we're not seeing an improvement, we can potentially remove that and replace it with a different drug."
Why Oxford is playing a key role
The trial aims to recruit 1,200 participants across the UK, with Oxford playing an important role in identifying people who could benefit from taking part.
Dementias Platform UK, which is based in Oxford, has an existing network of memory clinics across the country that can help researchers find suitable participants.
The team is also using information from another study, known as READ-OUT, which is investigating how blood tests could help identify Alzheimer's disease earlier and more accurately.
Professor Raymont said: "It's a great opportunity for Oxford. It's hopefully a great opportunity for people that have come through our existing research to be offered even more that they can take part in."
Could existing medicines help treat Alzheimer's?
The study will initially test two existing medicines already used to treat type 2 diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Researchers believe the drugs could target processes associated with Alzheimer's disease, which can make the condition worse.
Professor Raymont said: "We know that cardiovascular disease is also generally a factor in how Alzheimer's disease progresses. And certainly the diabetic drug seems to have its benefit potentially in part through that route."
She added that researchers benefit from the medicines already being used, as they have existing information about their safety and side effects.
Who can take part?
The study is expected to run over the next four to five years, with recruitment taking place through participating NHS sites, including Oxford Health.
People who have attended a memory clinic and been diagnosed with Alzheimer's-related mild cognitive impairment or dementia could be eligible.
Participants would undergo assessments including a blood test, MRI scan and cognitive tests to confirm their suitability.
They would then attend regular appointments over approximately a year, allowing researchers to monitor their response to treatment.
New hope for families
Researchers hope the trial could help address the urgent need for more treatment options for people living with Alzheimer's.
While some medicines are already available to help manage symptoms, Professor Raymont says the need for more is particularly pressing for people who have already developed memory problems.
She said: "Because Alzheimer's disease is so complicated and there's so many different things going on in the disease, we also recognise we probably need more than one drug for each patient."
She added that the existing medicines being tested could potentially be used with other Alzheimer's treatments in the future.
"Some of these drugs that are being repurposed in effect may be incredibly useful alongside either drugs we already have or the new ones that are coming down the pipeline."