2009 Grants - Albert

Placebo Data Analysis in Alzheimer's Disease and MCI Clinical Trials: Phase II

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland

2009 Senator Mark Hatfield Award for Clinical Research in Alzheimer's Disease

Clinical trials are a critical component of the research enterprise related to Alzheimer's disease. Before they can be recommended for routine clinical use, treatments, preventive measures and diagnostic procedures need to be tested in clinical trials to confirm their safety and effectiveness. The way clinical trials are designed has strong implications for the accuracy and reliability of the results.

Marilyn S. Albert, Ph.D. and colleagues are analyzing data from individuals who have participated in the placebo arm of clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with the goal of improving the design of future clinical trials. More specifically, this analysis will provide information about ways to reduce variability, how best to measure the effectiveness of an intervention, and how best to measure changes in cognitive function or disease progression. This study will improve the design of future clinical trials, potentially enhancing the speed at which new treatments or diagnostic procedures become available for routine clinical use.