Canadian, American, Australian seniors to be tested in new Alzheimer’s fight

Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston are undertaking a massive research effort to determine if a new experimental drug can protect the brains of seniors who are currently healthy but may have some signs of risk.

Mr. Peter Bristol, of Rhode Island, was the first person to qualify for the research. His mother died of Alzheimer’s disease, and his brother is afflicted. His scan revealed a presence of some amyloid (the protein that can build up in a brain and cause Alzheimer’s).

Scientists believe Alzheimer’s may exist a decade before memory problems appear, and the new drug, known as Solanezumab, may slow the progress of amyloid buildup.

Volunteers will be given that drug, or a “placebo” (a dummy drug that actually will not have any effect), in the experiment. Volunteers from all three countries will be tested. Watch for various ads in the coming months as the recruitment effort proceeds.

The experiment might have an added benefit of telling a person that he or she has some amyloid presence, which in itself is a significant incentive for people to create an Incapacity and/or Estate plan for themselves and their families.

This ad ran in the Richmond Review on June 13, 2014.