ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION STIMULATES COOPERATION THAT ADVANCES ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE PREVENTION RESEARCH
The
future success of Alzheimer's prevention research could depend on the
ability of researchers from different clinical trials to build
collaborative relationships that facilitate the sharing of information,
resources and expertise that may speed the discovery of new preventive
treatments, according to leading Alzheimer's researchers who published, "CAP—advancing the evaluation of preclinical Alzheimer disease treatments," online today in the journal Nature Reviews Neurology.
The
Collaboration for Alzheimer's Prevention (CAP) was formed in 2011,
under the leadership of the Alzheimer's Association and Fidelity
Biosciences Research Initiative (FBRI). CAP's goals from the beginning
were to help researchers learn from and support each other's work; share
data; harmonize data gathering and trial outcomes to allow for
comparability across studies; and hold open, informal dialogue with
regulators.
The
founding members of CAP include representatives from the Anti-Amyloid
Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (A4) Study, Dominantly
Inherited Alzheimer Network Trials Unit (DIAN-TU), Alzheimer's
Prevention Initiative (API), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the Alzheimer's
Association and FBRI. (Note: The Association provided key funding to the
A4, DIAN TU and API trials.) Researchers from the TOMMORROW Trial later joined CAP, bringing the perspective of a study that is funded by industry.
CAP
has contributed to the refinement of six Alzheimer's prevention trials –
four that have launched and two that will start soon. CAP aims for
researchers to provide assistance to each other in the development of
trial outcomes, standardization of sample and data collection, and
recruitment and retention of study participants. All CAP investigators
are working with their respective academic and industry partners to
enable an unprecedented level of data sharing, including in some cases
not only sharing upon completion of the trial, but also the sharing of
baseline data as early as the conclusion of enrollment in a given trial.
With
more than 5 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's disease
and that number projected to climb to between 13 and 16 million by
2050, it is more critical than ever to find faster methods to evaluate
promising Alzheimer's treatments and preventions, and develop new
avenues for researchers to share insights and experiences.
Alzheimer's Association Involvement
The
Alzheimer's Association joined with FBRI in 2011 to convene
representatives from the Alzheimer's disease prevention trials in the
Collaboration for Alzheimer's Prevention (CAP). The alliance planned to
tap into a spirit of collaboration among these researchers that would
make a positive impact on the clinical trials process. It was apparent
from early conversations that all the prevention trials, and the
Alzheimer's research field, would benefit from ongoing conversation and
coordination among the scientists, and with the regulatory agencies.
Before CAP, researchers had one-off conversations and conducted trials
in ways that created unnecessary overlap, and did not allow for easy
comparison amongst the studies. This collaboration aligns everyone's
work where it makes most sense and provides the greatest benefit to the
entire Alzheimer's research community.
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