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Farber Research Update - Alzheimer's

Farber joins 70 North American sites in the Phase III clinical trial, which is evaluating Alzhemed for safety and efficacy in slowing the rate of cognitive decline in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. The double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial will enroll a pproximately 950 people in the U.S. and Canada.

Alzhemed was designed by scientists at Neurochem, Inc. of Laval, Canada, to mimic the action of specific molecules in the brain that contribute to amyloid build-up. In previous studies, researchers found that people on Alzhemed had lower levels of amyloid than those on a dummy pill, and most study participants with mild Alzheimer's showed stable or improved results on cognitive function tests, even after 16 months. The drug also inhibited amyloid deposits in mice with Alzheimer's.

New Trick for an Old Drug? Farber Seeking Answers

An old antibiotic is being harnessed for a potential new role to prevent the amyloid plaques believed to be at the root of Alzheimer's disease. Farber Institute researchers have received preliminary approval from the Food and Drug Administration to initiate a clinical trial to find out if the drug clioquinol can slow the progression of Alzheimer's plaques by targeting copper and zinc in the brain. Eighty people will be enrolled at the Farber site, with another 300 in the United Kingdom.

Growing evidence suggests that beta amyloid accumulation depends upon copper and zinc. Though essential to health in small amounts, these metals bind to beta amyloid in the brain and cause an oxidative reaction that is the biological equivalent of rust, destroying nerve cells.

Clioquinol, an antibiotic first used in the 1930's, was identified by researchers looking for compounds that could interfere with the coupling of copper and zinc with beta amyloid. The drug binds up the culprit metals and disrupts their molecular bonds to amyloid, effectively breaking up Alzheimer plaques. In animal studies, clioquinol decreased beta amyloid deposits by nearly 50 percent, and tests in a small number of people with Alzheimer's showed promising evidence for clinical and biological effects .

"The opportunity to take an existing drug and put it to use against Alzheimer's disease is rare," says Barry W. Rovner, director of the Farber Institute's Center for Alzheimer's Research and Care and a professor of psychiatry and neurology at Jefferson Medical College. "If clioquinol proves to be safe and effective, we could finally have something to offer patients that directly targets amyloid build-up."

Fostering Neuroscience Leadership

The Farber Institute for Neurosciences is committed not only to advancing neuroscience research today, but also to training the next generation of neuroscientists. Since its inception, the Institute has awarded pre-and post-doctoral research fellowships to qualified applicants pursuing research that supports our mission. Now, the Jefferson College of Graduate Studies has established a formal doctoral-level program in neuroscience, which is directed by Farber laboratory head Elisabeth Van Bockstaele, Ph.D. and includes many Farber members as faculty. In addition, a graduate neuroscience training program to be housed within the Farber Institute is currently under review for government funding.