For Patients & Families > Clinical Research > Plaque Prevention: Farber Institute Launches Anti-Amyloid Clinical Trials > Cerebril
Phase 2 Study of Cerebril for Stroke and Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy
A second drug, chemically similar to Alzhemed, is being investigated for cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), a primary cause of stroke and brain hemorrhage. In CAA, amyloid plaques build up on the walls of blood vessels in the brain, weakening the vessels and increasing stroke risk. It is closely linked to Alzheimer's (in which amyloid builds up in the space between nerve cells) and is found in the vast majority of people with Alzheimer's, leading many experts to believe the two diseases may share an underlying mechanism.
Like Alzhemed, Cerebril is designed to block the effects of naturally occurring substances in the brain called glycosaminoglycans, or GAGs. GAGs latch on to fragments of beta amyloid and help convert them into the sticky fibers that clump together in plaques. (To see a diagram describing GAGs, click here.)
Farber scientists have been involved in a phase 2 trial measuring the drug's safety in people who have survived a hemorrhagic stroke due to CAA and are therefore at high risk for a second stroke. Dr. Barry Rovner , the Director of the Institute's Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, is leading the trial for Farber. Dr. Rodney Bell , a Jefferson professor of neurology and head of the TJU Stroke Team, is co-principal investigator, and Farber Director Sam Gandy is collaborating. The study is funded by the National Institutes of Health, and Farber is one of five sites worldwide. A phase 3 trial to measure safety and efficacy is expected to begin soon.
For more information about participating in this trial, contact:
Cerebril Trial Information
Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care
Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University
900 Walnut Street, 8 th floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: (215) 503-0359
Fax: (215) 503-1731
E-mail: Karen.carroll@jefferson.edu
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