The Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry today enrolled its 100,000th volunteer interested in participating in studies aimed at preventing the disease, a significant milestone in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Championed by Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI), in collaboration with partner organizations and leading scientists, the Registry (www.endALZnow.org) aims to accelerate prevention research by establishing an online community of healthy individuals who are committed to fighting the disease, informing them about the latest developments in Alzheimer’s prevention research, and connecting those who may be interested with scientists carrying out the studies.
“We are excited about the chance to enlist stakeholders in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, support their participation in prevention trials, and provide a resource of participants to help the field find treatments to end this disease as quickly as possible,” said Eric Reiman, M.D., BAI Executive Director.
The field needs faster ways to evaluate promising prevention therapies, and more efficient mechanisms to enroll interested participants in prevention trials, Reiman said. In 2011, BAI launched the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API) to accelerate the pace of Alzheimer’s prevention research, and it created the Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry to help researchers enroll interested participants into studies.
Registry staff communicates closely with stakeholders in the international Alzheimer’s research community and provides information to Registry members about the latest developments in Alzheimer’s prevention research, scientific advances, and overall brain health. The Registry also notifies members about research opportunities taking place in their communities and how to participate if they or someone they know may be interested. Anyone 18 or older with an interest in the fight against Alzheimer’s can join the Registry.
“An estimated 80 percent of studies fail to meet recruitment goals prolonging the effort to find effective treatments,” said Jessica Langbaum, Ph.D., principal scientist at BAI and associate director of the API. “We’re excited about the crucial role the Registry is playing in overcoming recruitment barriers and advancing prevention research.”