Dear Sir,

As a scientist — and the caregiver of someone who has Alzheimer’s — I’m committed to accelerating medical research. When we learned about Alzheimer’s Association^® TrialMatch^®, a free service that makes it easy to find clinical trials, my wife and I wanted to get involved.

My wife, Sheryl, was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2008. Through Trial Match, she enrolled in an 18-month study of a drug that may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s by testing some of the disease’s underlying causes. The trial results were promising enough for the study to continue this summer, and Sheryl will participate again.

We don’t know yet if Sheryl received the actual medication or a placebo (an inactive pill, liquid or powder that has no treatment value). We do know that without clinical trials, there can be no new treatments or a cure.

If Sheryl got the drug and it slows the disease, that’s great. But even if she received the placebo, we know her participation will benefit Alzheimer’s research. I encourage anyone who wants to help fight this disease to register with Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch today.

Thank you,

Palmer Holden, PhD
Iowa City, IA