Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation recognizes strong, expanding research
WASHINGTON, DC (February 19, 2019) – The Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation (GAP) announced a $100,000 grant to the Barrow Neurological Foundation to optimize and support the Alzheimer’s clinical trials program at Barrow Neurological Institute at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The grant will go toward participant retention efforts, staff education programs, improving productivity and building a database for clinical trial recruitment.
“Barrow Neurological Institute is emerging as a leader in innovative Alzheimer’s research,” said John Dwyer, President of the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation. “It has a strong pro-research culture, talented leadership and a solid and growing research infrastructure. We’re pleased to be working with them on promising Alzheimer’s clinical trials.”
Barrow Neurological Institute is a member of the GAP-Net network of more than 70 prominent research sites working with the Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation to speed and improve clinical trials. The Institute has more than 20 Alzheimer’s or dementia clinical trials ranging from prevention studies focused on halting the development of the disease, to imaging trials aimed at gaining a greater understanding of it, to treatment studies aimed at slowing the progression of illness in those affected byAlzheimer’s.
“Barrow’s goal is to connect the right patient with the right clinical trial at the right time,” said Dr. Jeremy Shefner, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at Barrow Neurological Institute. “Our participation in GAP-Net has enabled us to expand our clinical trials, becoming one of the most active cognitive clinical trials programs in the region. This gift will help us assess the feasibility of new trials and identify suitable candidates for new or ongoing research.”
Over the last two years, the Barrow Neurological Institute Disease and Memory Disorders Division has greatly expanded its Alzheimer’s clinical trials, enrolling more than 200 participants in research studies in the last year alone.
Clinical trials are the key to accelerating a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but approximately 85 to 90 percent of Alzheimer’s disease trials in the U.S. experience delayed recruitment, according to Applied Clinical Trials. That is slowing progress toward viable treatments, which must be confirmed in clinical trials before they are available to the public.
Barrow Neurological Institute will use funds from GAP to build a database to connect the right research volunteer with the right clinical trial at the right time. In addition, to make participation easier, some of the funds will provide research volunteers with transportation to and from their clinical visits and provide comfort provisions.
The GAP Grant program is a highly competitive grant program that funds innovative clinical trial sites. GAP has made more than 30 grants to sites to improve clinical trials. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and 5.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s at a national cost of nearly $300 billion. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s is expected to balloon as the population ages.
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