Alzheimer's study22 Aug 2016 14:25
http://www.businessweekly.co.uk/news/academia-research/cambridge-teams-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-diagnosis-study
Five science & technology companies involved in the Cambridge cluster are involved in a multimillion pound study to detect early signs of Alzheimer's disease; it is being heralded as the world’s most in depth probe in the space.
Cambridge University, AstraZeneca and subsidiary MedImmune, Cambridge Cognition and IXICO, which reversed into Phytopharm in Cambridge and whose chairman is local entrepreneur Andy Richards, are all at the heart of the study.
It will see the most thorough and rigorous series of tests to detect Alzheimer’s ever performed on volunteers.
The Deep and Frequent Phenotyping study is funded by the National Institute of Health Research and the MRC and hopes to dramatically improve the success rate of clinical trials for treatments in Alzheimer’s disease.
The landmark £6.9 million research project has been designed to identify measurable characteristics, known as biomarkers, which can detect the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease very early on in the progression of the disease – when a person may have no obvious symptoms.
Between 2002 and 2012, 99 per cent of clinical trials into treatments for Alzheimer’s disease failed. A probable reason for the high failure rate is that treatments are being tested on those who already have irreparable damage to the brain.
It is likely that treatments will be more effective in slowing or stopping further at onset of dementia at earlier stages of the disease. Also, by targeting people in the earlier stages, it should be possible to design better clinical trials for treatments that make a real difference and improve people’s lives.
The multisite team, led by the University of Oxford, will work with colleagues at eight UK universities and the Alzheimer’s Society, with the project also receiving support from a coalition of biopharma companies including the Cambridge phalanx.
The researchers will perform up to 50 tests on 250 volunteers from Dementias Platform UK cohorts, including new tests that have never been used before to detect dementia.
The tests will include wearable devices that will give researchers detailed information on people’s movement and gait, and sophisticated retinal imaging that will look at subtle changes affecting a person’s central and peripheral vision.
These potential new biomarkers will be used alone and alongside tests such as brain imaging and assessment of memory and other cognitive functions. They will allow the researchers to recognise the early stages of the disease and those who may be suitable for trials of possible treatments.
An estimated 46.8 million people worldwide were living with dementia in 2015 and with an ageing population in most developed countries predictions suggest this number may double by 2050.
There is currently no known cure for the dise
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