A national team of scientists is trying to determine if an experimental drug, called a RAGE inhibitor, can help Alzheimer's disease patients with memory loss and other symptoms.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine are looking for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease to participate in clinical trials.

"The number of Alzheimer's patients is expected to triple or even quadruple by the year 2050. We don't want people to be completely infirm and unable to take care of themselves, so it's important that we find some drugs that can prevent the problem," Dr. J. Wesson Ashford, leader of the Stanford portion of the multi-center study, said.

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, which is characterized by an excessive amount of proteins that build up plaque deposits and cause damage to nerve cells and inflammation in the brain.

The disease was recently ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the sixth leading cause of death in the country. Societal costs of Alzheimer's amount to nearly $150 billion each year.

The drug being tested in this study seeks to stop the protein amyloid beta from binding to a receptor in the brain called RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation endproducts). In earlier studies, inhibiting the RAGE protein in animal models led to a reduction of plaque formation.

The researchers hope the drug will slow the progressive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease. The 18-month, double-blind study will involve 400 volunteers at 40 sites nationwide. Participants will receive the drug or a placebo pill.

The researchers are looking for people age 50 or older who have been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Volunteers must be currently taking medication for their disease and have a caregiver or family member who can accompany them to each study visit.

The research is being conducted by the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study, a consortium of leading researchers supported by the National Institute on Aging, and is led by researchers at the University of California-San Diego. Funding for the study comes from Pfizer, which manufactures the drug being tested.

Interested persons can contact Ellen Kim at 650-496-2578 or the Alzheimer's Disease
Education and Referral Center at 800-438-4380.