Baycrest

BrainMatters •Fall/Winter 2024 • 13 Here's a sample of what our scientists are exploring: • Baycrest was the site of an international drug study on how to eliminate amyloid plaque build-up in the brain. The drug has gone for FDA approval. • A drug administered by IV infusion that attacks inflammation has the potential to alter the course of Alzheimer's disease by reducing brain inflammation. • Another option for reducing brain inflammation is easy to inject and might reverse the brain cell loss caused by Alzheimer's. • We're testing a breakthrough treatment to remove the tau protein that many believe is key to stopping Alzheimer's disease. This novel treatment is administered every three month directly into the spinal fluid by lumbar puncture. • Another study looks at the benefits of a new intravenous drug for Alzheimer's sufferers that also targets abnormal proteins. The drug was successful in one previous study. • A drug self-administered by subcutaneous injection every few weeks is being tested for its ability to attack plaque. • Our team is taking part in international trials to test immune therapies to prevent Alzheimer's. It's thought that deficits in the immune system may contribute to Alzheimer's and this new drug aims to correct those deficits. The Anne & Allan Bank Centre for Clinical Research Trials at Baycrest was created to respond to a growing need to explore and test new therapies to prevent, detect, and treat dementia. Our clinical trials, led by an experienced team of world-renowned scientists, test promising experimental medications and non-pharmacological interventions that could prevent and treat dementia. It's another frontier in the fight for healthy aging. The research team often has more than a dozen ongoing trials at a time, the most for Alzheimer's disease in Canada. DRUGS WITH PROMISE

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