Clinical Trials
Participate in a Study
Currently, more than six million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. By 2050, that number is projected to triple. Though so many are affected, challenges in finding volunteers hinder our efforts at developing a cure. As a research volunteer, you champion the effort to prevent, slow, and, one day, cure Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
Participation in research is the only way we can hope to find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and promote normal healthy brain aging for all. We have a variety of studies for individuals with and without memory loss. To discuss how you can participate please call us at (859) 323-5550. Alternatively, you can give us some basic information by completing our online research interest form and we will get back in touch with you soon.
Featured Studies
University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Center Brain Aging Research Study
The UK- Center brain aging research program is our longest-running research study for individuals with and without memory problems. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to ongoing research in the areas of Alzheimer's disease and normal aging.
ABROAD Study
The ABROAD Study is a research study for people who have been diagnosed with mild Alzheimer’s OR have been experiencing signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Study doctors want to learn if an investigational drug for the symptoms of mild Alzheimer’s works and is safe.
AHEAD Study
The purpose of the AHEAD study is to evaluate whether BAN-2401, a study drug, can help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease dementia among individuals who are cognitively normal and have intermediate or elevated levels of amyloid. Participation in this research study will involve visits every two to four weeks over a four-year period to receive the study drug via infusion. Participants will receive either the study drug or a placebo. You may be eligible to participate if you are ages 55-80, are in good general health, and are able to have an MRI scan.
Alzheimer Prevention Trials Webstudy (APT)
The APT Webstudy - aptwebstudy.org - is an online memory and thinking research tool aimed at accelerating enrollment into Alzheimer’s clinical trials by identifying and tracking individuals who may be at higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s. Participation in the APT Webstudy involves taking online memory and thinking testing four times per year. You may be eligible to participate if you are age 50 or older and are interested in being part of future Alzheimer’s disease prevention trials.
DIVERSE VCID Study
The Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is a partner site for the DIVERSE VCID Study.
As awareness of dementia increases, it is common for individuals to seek clinical evaluation for cognitive complaints.
Black American and Hispanic/Latinx Americans are at greater risk than White Americans for developing dementia, likely reflecting historical and present-day systemic racism and social inequities that affect brain health. In fact, social determinants of health strongly contribute to the increased prevalence of vascular brain disease in older adult populations from diverse backgrounds. Neuroimaging studies performed as part of cognitive assessment frequently identify incidental White Matter Hyperintensitites (WMH), usually ascribed to microvascular disease by radiologists, raising patient concerns about their brain health and future risk for dementia.
To date, however, we are not aware of any studies that have comprehensively examined the impact of individual and combined MRI measures of white matter injury on cognitive performance among a diverse, non-demented, stroke-free population with cognitive complaints over an extended period of observation. To study this problem directly, the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has commissioned Diverse VCID, a 6-year study of 2,250 Americans from diverse backgrounds to understand the role that WMH play in developing Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.
The results of this study will be used to develop and validate a predictive risk model to inform future care for Black Americans and Hispanic/Latinx Americans.
For further information, please see kentucky.myhealthybrain.org.
Libby Study
The Life’s-end Benefits of cannaBidiol and tetrahYdrocannabinol (LiBBY) Study is the first of its kind to examine possible benefits of Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) as a safe treatment option for hospice-eligible people with agitation and any type of dementia. The LiBBY Study has 8 to 15 sites across the United States.
SHIMMER Study
The SHIMMER study is designed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the study drug CT1812 in adults with mild to moderate Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). The purpose of this study is to learn how well you or your loved one tolerate(s) a once-a-day oral dose of CT1812. Qualified participants will be in this study for approximately 8 months.
SMArT-HS Study
One in five persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease actually have LATE (Limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy), formerly known as Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging. SMArT-HS is a phase IIa study to assess the safety and tolerability of nicorandil (currently commonly used for chest pain) in people who are 75 years or older with memory complaints.
START Study
The purpose of the START study is to learn if a new treatment, CT1812, can safely slow memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease.
Participation in this study will involve taking the medication or placebo capsule once a day, attend in-person visits for medical assessments and procedures, and keep a study partner that helps with giving the investigational treatment to the participant and provides behavior and health information about the participant to study site staff. Qualified participants will be in the study for 18 months.
VIVA MIND Clinical Trial
The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is a site for the VIVA-MIND clinical trial, designed especially for early AD
The VIVA-MIND trial is designed to determine if the study drug, varoglutamstat, can stabilize or slow memory and thinking problems that increase in early AD.
In early AD, a specific and toxic form of the amyloid protein accumulates in the brain. This toxic protein, called N3pE, appears to damage brain cells and surrounding tissues and activates a strong inflammatory response.
The amyloid protein N3pE is not found in healthy individuals and increases with AD progression. VIVA-MIND researchers suspect that N3pE may play a major role in the decline of memory and thinking skills in early AD.
While many older adults feel as though their memory isn’t as good as it used to be, there are distinct differences between normal cognitive aging and the decline observed in people on the AD trajectory. People with early AD experience a measurable decline in memory, verbal ability, decision-making, and judgment.
Social and Behavioral Studies
Harmony at H.O.M.E.
Are You a Caring for Someone with Dementia? Researchers at the University of Kentucky invite you to participate in a research study which offers the Harmony at H.O.M.E. (Help Online Modifying the Environment) telehealth program. The program provides training and tools for care partners to assess and modify the home to promote activity engagement and behavior regulation for the person with dementia. This study is led by The University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging faculty member Elizabeth Rhodus, PhD.
For more information, please click the following link: https://www.ccts.uky.edu/participate-research/current-studies/are-you-caring-someone-dementia
Ongoing Studies Closed for Enrollment
BAN-2401
The purpose of the BAN-2401 study is to examine whether an anti-amyloid medication may slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people with mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease. We hope to find out whether the study medication can reduce the amount of amyloid in the brain that might be causing the memory and thinking problems. Participation in this research study lasts two years and involves bi-weekly infusions of the study drug or a placebo (www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/clinical-trials/ban2401-early-alzheimers-disease). You may be eligible to participate if you are ages 50 or older and have either mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease.
Clarity-AD
The purpose of the Clarity study is to evaluate whether BAN2401, a study drug, may slow or stop the progression of memory problems among individuals with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer’s disease. Participation in this research study will involve visits every two weeks over an 18-month period to receive the study drug via infusion. Participants will receive either the study drug or a placebo. An extension is currently planned for individuals who complete the study to have the chance to be guaranteed the drug for up to two years. You may be eligible to participate if you are ages 50-90, are in good general health, and are able to have an MRI scan.
EVOKE Studies
We are doing this study to see if the new medicine called semaglutide can help people with early Alzheimer’s disease. This will be done by comparing semaglutide against placebo on the effect on cognition and daily functioning. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disease that with time can cause dementia. The disease develops slowly and affects memory and other brain functions. As the disease gets worse, the person may need help with basic activities in their daily life.
What will this study look at?
This study will look mainly at changes in cognition (memory and other brain functions) and on daily functioning during treatment with semaglutide or placebo.
MARK VCID Study
Age-related problems in thinking and memory represent some of the greatest risks to public health in the US and globally. Diseases that affect small blood vessels in the brain have been shown to be major contributors to these changes.
However, research and patient care can be held back by limited "biomarkers" that identify who should be treated. The MarkVCID team is dedicated to finding biomarkers involved in age-related thinking and memory problems.
What are biomarkers?
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias leave signatures on brain scans or in the blood called biomarkers. The MARKVCID study will measure a panel of candidate biomarkers in over 1800 participants and watch them closely to see what they tell us about brain changes in function and risk of memory loss.
RefocusALZ
RethinkALZ and RefocusALZ are the names of two new clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease. The Sanders-Brown Center on Aging is a participating site for RefocusALZ. The purpose of these trials is to determine if a new, twice-a-day, oral drug candidate called simufilam is safe and effective in slowing down the progression of mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Simufilam is an investigational drug candidate that has not been approved by the FDA, or any regulatory agency, for the treatment of any condition. For further information, please click the attached links.