Alzheimer's prevention trial at Georgetown, Howard, Johns Hopkins
Researchers conducting Alzheimer's prevention trial at Howard University
A study taking place in the Washington region and beyond may offer hope for people who don’t currently have Alzheimer’s but are at risk of developing the disease in the future. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has all the details on the AHEAD Study.
A study taking place in the Washington region and beyond may offer hope for people who don’t currently have Alzheimer’s but are at risk of developing the disease in the future.
It’s called the AHEAD Study, and Howard University’s Dr. Thomas Obisesan said it got the name for a very simple reason.
"The overall goal of the study is to get ahead of Alzheimer’s disease," he explained.
Alzheimer’s affects more than 6.5 million Americans, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which recently approved the drug Lecanemab for people with early signs of the disease.
New drug gives renewed hope to Alzheimer's patients
Obisesan, a site principal investigator on the study, said they’re looking for people between the ages of 55-and-80 who don’t currently have memory loss but do have a protein in their brain called "amyloid," which can cause Alzheimer’s. The idea is maybe they can use Lecanemab to get rid of amyloid in the brain before there’s any cognitive decline at all.
"The overall goal is to remove that protein from the brain and prevent those individuals from ever developing any signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease," Obisesan told FOX 5.
The AHEAD Study is looking for individuals of every race and ethnicity to help find a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that works for everyone. Trials are being held locally at Howard University and Georgetown University in D.C. and at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
For more information including enrollment details visit Aheadstudy.org.