The trial - Impact of Semaglutide in Amyloid Positive (ISAP) - will test the effects of oral semaglutide, a drug used to treat diabetes, on the build-up of a protein (tau) in the brain that characterises Alzheimer's disease, as well as brain inflammation, and people's memory and thinking abilities.
Dr Ivan Koychev, Dementias Platform UK, and member of the Dementia Theme in the National Health and Care Research Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, is leading this new trial for the University of Oxford.
Dr Ivan Koychev, said:
The ISAP study will be critical in establishing if brain glucose metabolism and neuroinflammation treatments (such as semaglutide) hold potential for delaying, or even preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Given the recent decision of the Government to double funding for dementia research and with a particular focus on trials, we're delighted to share that the first participant in this ISAP trial consented to take part on 15 August. Coupled with the renewal of our NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and its expanded Dementia Theme, we hope to make significant strides forward for patients and their families.
People included in the ISAP trial are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease because of having high levels of the protein amyloid in their brains. The study aims to recruit 88 participants across five sites in the UK by November 2022. The ISAP study is funded by Novo Nordisk.
For more information about the ISAP trial.
Further information about Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease is characterised by the abnormal build-up of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain, which can occur years before clinical symptoms such as memory loss are detected. More than 57.4 million people worldwide are living with dementia and, without new therapeutics to slow or halt disease progression, this number is expected to grow to 152.8 million by 2050.