I want to alert you to an ongoing clinical trial that is designed to identify the genes that are responsible for causing Alzheimer’s Disease. This could be important to all of us who are predisposed to Alzheimer’s by birth. The investigators are searching for families with multiple incidences of Alzheimer’s disease. The study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is ambitious and they are seeking 3000 participants. They are recruiting nationally.
The purpose of the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Study is to identify the genes that are responsible for causing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). One of the ways in which the risk factor genes for late onset AD can be investigated is by identifying and collecting genetic material from families with multiple members diagnosed with late onset AD (over 60 years of age).
You can read more about the study by visiting the clinical trials page or read more specifics of the study on the next page.
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Detailed Description:
The purpose of the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Study is to identify the genes that are responsible for causing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). One of the ways in which the risk factor genes for late onset AD can be investigated is by identifying and collecting genetic material from families with multiple members diagnosed with late onset AD (over 60 years of age). Families meeting the criteria will have any two living family members diagnosed with AD with an onset of age 60 or older and at least one other affected or unaffected relative willing to participate. Families will be evaluated for a medical diagnosis and other factors. If eligible, blood samples will be collected from the participants to establish cell lines. If one of the identified family members is deceased, DNA will be extracted and stored from autopsy samples. Qualifying families will have a minimum of 3 members participating in the study: any two living family members diagnosed with AD with an onset at age 60 or older and a third member who must have an age of onset greater than 50, if affected, and 60 or older, if unaffected. The goal is to recruit 1,000 families in three years. This research will include a collection of samples from ethnic/minority populations and other special populations, including African Americans, the Amish, Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Japanese-Americans. Persons interested in registering to participate in this study can call the toll-free NCRAD number 1-800-526-2839 for more information. Local study sites are located all over the United States, and arrangements may be made for eligible families who do not live near a participating site.
Local sites, including the NIA-sponsored Alzheimer’s Disease Centers, will collect clinical and demographic data from these families, and the sites will send coded data (without identifiers) to the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease (NCRAD) at Indiana University. The biological samples and data from these families will be available to qualified researchers, who must sign a Materials Transfer Agreement (to protect the privacy rights of participants in this study and to agree to share the results of genetic analyses) before receiving DNA and data. An oversight committee known as the Cell Bank Advisory Committee (CBAC) and the Coordinator of the NIA Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Study, Richard Mayeux, MD, Columbia University, will review and monitor the process of family identification and enrollment, data collection, and the establishment of cell lines. This repository of DNA and cell lines was developed in hopes of discovering risk factor genes that contribute to late onset AD.
Eligibility
Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
Contacts
Contact: Study Coordinator 1-800-526-2839
alzstudy@iupui.edu
More Information
NCRAD: the National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease
Responsible Party: National Cell Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease (NCRAD) ( Tatiana M Foroud )
Study ID Numbers: IA0042, NIH grant U24 AG21886
First Received: July 14, 2003
Last Updated: February 20, 2008
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00064870
Health Authority: United States: Federal Government
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