Treating Alzheimer’s before It Happens

A drug trial in Colombia is trying to find whether dementia can be prevented 10 to 15 years before its expected onset

A Physician's Discovery The neurologist Francisco Lopera of the University of Antioquia in Medellin found families in the early 1980s with a genetic form of Alzheimer’s in the Colombian province of Antioquia. .. Image credit: Juan Arredondo
Family Portrait Alzheimer’s has afflicted several generations of the family of Yolanda, seated, who suffers from the disease. Her two daughters, Alejandra and Carolina (at rear), along with her granddaughter Luna are hoping that the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative, the name of the clinical trial, may find a drug that may help them if they fall ill... Image credit: Juan Arredondo
Orfa This 36-year-old woman makes the trip regularly to Medellin to receive either a drug or placebo as part of a clinical trial that will last through 2021. The trial will test Genentech’s crenezumab, designed to bind to and remove the aberrant protein that is thought to underlie Alzheimer’s... Image credit: Juan Arredondo
Family Hopes Gudiela, 47, has an extensive family history of Alzheimer’s and now participates in the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative, a source of hope for her children, Bryan and Isabella. Image credit: Juan Arredondo
Advertisement
Collaborators A team from the Phoenix-based Banner Alzheimer’s Institute—Jessica Langbaum, Pierre Tariot and Eric Reiman—were pivotal in launching the innovative clinical trial, centered at the University of Antioquia... Image credit: Juan Arredondo

Newsletter