Five New Awards from Alzheimer’s Association Part the Cloud Research Grants
Alzheimer’s Association’s Part the Cloud Translational Research for Alzheimer’s Disease Grant Program Makes Five New Awards
Translational research is an important branch of science that aims to make findings from basic research useful for practical applications that enhance human health and well-being. Many academic researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies have identified potential new drug therapy candidates for Alzheimer’s disease, but lack the funding to move them into human testing. At the same time, few funding sources support early-phase clinical trials. The Alzheimer’s Association Part the Cloud grants are specifically intended to fill that research gap.
Part the Cloud funding supports (1) early phase studies of potential Alzheimer’s therapies and (2) projects designed to validate methods and/or markers for measuring presence or severity of disease that are needed to develop and evaluate possible treatments.
Five new grants through the Alzheimer’s Association Part the Cloud program totaling nearly $4 million have just recently been announced. They are:
- A clinical trial, in middle-aged African Americans with a family history of Alzheimer’s, of a drug used to treat high blood pressure (perindopril). This study will help determine if the drug is useful to reduce Alzheimer’s risk in African-Americans.
- A clinical trial to determine safe doses of an antibody to abnormal tau protein, which forms the hallmark tangles found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Studies in mice have shown the antibody to be effective at reducing tau tangles and improving cognitive function.
- A pilot study in individuals who have both mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and prediabetes to assess the safety, side effects and optimal dosing of a dietary supplement called Biologically Active Dietary Polyphenol Preparation. Polyphenols are found in vegetables, fruits, tea, red wine, coffee, chocolate and olives.
- A clinical trial of a possible substitute energy source (oxaloacetate) for the brain in individuals with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s. The primary goal is to determine which doses are safe, and which doses are required to have an effect on energy production in the brain. In Alzheimer’s, the brain’s ability to use blood sugars for energy is impaired, and may contribute to decline in brain function.
- A study of the effects of specific fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that are efficiently converted into ketones in the body. In people with Alzheimer’s, the brain may retain its ability to use ketones as an alternative energy source. The researchers will test MCTs in older individuals who have early memory changes, and determine whether improvements in brain functions also improve memory.
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