More than five million Americans—including 210,000 Illinois residents—are currently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and scientists expect this number to nearly triple by 2050. Experts say Hispanics are almost one and a half times more likely than white Americans to develop the disease. A groundbreaking study being conducted by local researchers at Northwestern and Rush Universities are testing whether an investigational drug can prevent or slow the development of Alzheimer’s seeks volunteers – including Hispanics – who have just the earliest changes in their brain associated with the disease, but don’t yet have any symptoms.

The A4 Study (which stands for the Anti-Amyloid in Asymptomatic Alzheimer’s study) seeks to delay Alzheimer’s-related brain damage and curb memory loss before any outward signs develop. Healthy people with normal memories can are needed to join the clinical trial aiming to prevent memory loss associated with the disease. This landmark study takes a new approach to Alzheimer’s research by testing for an elevated level of a protein known as ‘amyloid’ in the brain. Scientists believe that elevated amyloid may play an important role in the eventual development of memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

The A4 Study requires 1,000 healthy participants between the ages of 65 and 85 who have normal thinking and memory function to enroll in sites across the United States. Researchers estimate that 10,000 people will need to be screened to find 1,000 individuals who qualify. Potential study volunteers can learn more about the study including how to enroll by visiting the A4 Study website at A4Study.org or by contacting one of the two local study sites below:

Northwestern University
Kristine Lipkowski, k-lipowski@northwestern.edu, 312-503-2486

Rush University Medical Center
Mary Messenger, mary_messenger@rush.edu, 312-942-6514