January 27, 2021, Las Vegas: The National Institute of Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) awarded five-year grants of $ 3.2 million and $ 1.4 million, respectively, to scientists from the Lou Ruvo Cleveland Clinical Center for Brain Health to study the therapeutic potential of the anti-cancer drug lenalidomide in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, known as cerebral palsy (MCI).
The funding will support the “Repurposing Lenalidomide for Early Alzheimer Treatment” project led by Marwan Sabbagh, MD, and Boris Decourt, Ph.D., of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The project consists of two complementary clinical studies aimed at finding out whether lenalidomide reduces inflammation and other disease-related neuropathological features, and improves cognition in those who living with a debilitating brain.
Commitment to the study of lenalidomide stems from the strategy to simultaneously target multiple neuropathologies of Alzheimer’s disease, a relatively new approach in the development of Alzheimer’s disease drugs. Lenalidomide is one of the few multifactorial agents, which has shown several effects on the immune system in cancer patients. In addition, as an FDA-approved drug, lenalidomide safety and toxicity profiles have already been established, which will help accelerate trial and progression in Alzheimer’s clinical trials if the current project is successful.
“To date, disease modification therapies have used only one drug approach to target Alzheimer’s disease pathologies, and they have all failed. These donations will help us explore an innovative approach in treating reduce several pathologies simultaneously, “said Dr. Sabbagh, director of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. “Due to its dual mechanical nature, lenalidomide is particularly interesting because it has the ability to reduce both inflammatory inflammation and amyloid beta loads in the brain, which are both symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Both sister studies of lenalidomide recruit participants with early-stage Alzheimer’s / MCI disease at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The first study is funded by the NIH and is a 20-month Phase II study assessing the impact of long-term use of lenalidomide on psychiatry, along with safety and tolerability.
The second study, supported by ADDF funding, is a six-month Phase II study examining short-term use of lenalidomide in 45 participants, with a focus on safety and effects on blood biomarkers and cerebrospinal fluid. Dr. Sabbagh’s work is also supported by Endowment Chair Camille and Larry Ruvo for Brain Health.
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For more information about the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, visit ClevelandClinic.org/Nevada.
About the Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic is a multi-profit, non-profit academic medical center that combines clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four distinguished physicians with a vision of providing exceptional patient care based on the principles of collaboration, empathy and innovation.
The Cleveland Clinic has initiated many medical advances, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first facial transplant in the United States. US News and World Report regularly names the Cleveland Clinic as one of the best hospitals in the country in their annual review of “the best hospitals in America”. Cleveland Clinic’s 67,554 staff worldwide includes more than 4,520 salaried physicians and researchers, and 17,000 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical and subspecialty specialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,026-bed health system that includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 18 hospitals, more than 220 outpatient facilities, and locations in southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2019, 9.8 million outpatients, 309,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 255,000 surgical cases were visited across the Cleveland Clinic health system. Patients for treatment came from all states and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CCforMedia and twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
About the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
The Cleveland Lou Ruvo Clinical Center for Brain Health, which opened in 2009, provides expert diagnosis and treatment to individuals and families living with Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body, frontotemporal and other dementias; Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, multisystem atrophy and other movement disorders; and multiple sclerosis. With locations in Cleveland, OH; Weston, Florida and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, the center offers continuing care with free opportunities for the community to participate in education and research, including disease prevention studies and clinical trials. of promising new medicines. A unified entity, Keep Memory Alive, raises money solely in support of the Nevada situation. clevelandclinic.org/Nevada
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