CLEVELAND — Researchers at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine announced today they are accepting volunteers into a clinical trial of an experimental treatment aimed at improving memory and thinking in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

The compound, ABT-089, is being developed by Abbott. It is designed to activate receptors on nerve cells in the brain that regulate the release of neurotransmitters, chemicals that nerve cells use to communicate with one another. In patients with Alzheimer’s disease, these nerve cells lose the ability to communicate with one another and eventually they die.

“This is an interesting new concept in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,” stated Dr. Alan Lerner, the Principal Investigator of the study and Director of the Memory and Cognition Center of the Neurological Institute at UHCMC. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, terminal brain disorder that affects an estimated 5 million Americans. Those afflicted with the illness slowly lose their memory and their ability to think, communicate and complete basic tasks. It is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States.

About the study

This Phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study will compare the effectiveness and safety of six doses of ABT-089 to placebo taken over 12 weeks of treatment.

It will include up to 400 participants from approximately 35 sites in the United States. It is open to individuals between the ages of 55 and 90 who have received a diagnosis of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Participants must be on stable doses of Federal Drug Administration-approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, including ARICEPT® (donepezil HCl tablets), EXELON® (rivastigmine), and RAZADYNE® ER (galantamine) for 90 days prior to beginning the study. It is sponsored by Abbott.

The Memory and Cognition Center is part of the Neurological Institute of University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The center seeks to explore new ways to combat Alzheimer’s disease through research.