Grantees at Lou Rovo Center for Brain Health Recruiting for New Alzheimer’s Disease Trial

Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is now recruiting participants for a new, multicenter Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment trial, Rasagiline Rescue (R2), which is designed to determine if treatment with rasagiline is associated with improved brain glucose metabolism and improvement in memory. Men and women 50 to 90 years old suffering from mild to moderate forms of Alzheimer’s disease are needed to complete the free, six-month study.

“This trial of rasagiline in Alzheimer’s disease builds on the success of this drug in Parkinson’s disease and uses advanced technology and novel brain imaging approaches to determine if this same drug can help our patients with Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Kate Zhong, MD, Senior Director of Clinical Research at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. “We’re really excited about how this trial came together to use the strength of Cleveland Clinic, the resources of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the support of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation to give us the best chance of developing a new therapy for our AD patients.”

The R2 study is funded through the generous support of the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF). The ADDF, which provides funding to leading scientists who are conducting the most promising, innovative Alzheimer’s drug research worldwide, raised more than $1.2 million for the trial.
“We are proud to collaborate with the Cleveland Clinic in this novel repurposing study of rasagiline for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Howard Fillit, MD, Founding Executive Director and Chief Science Officer of the ADDF. “If the study is successful, it could have an important and immediate impact on treatment options in clinical practice.”

The R2 study is an addition to the Center’s ongoing clinical trials currently enrolling participants, which includes trials for people without memory problems or cognitive impairment (TOMMORROW and A4) as well as trials for men and women with a diagnosis of AD (NOBLE and Expedition 3).

For more information about the R2 trial, including how to enroll, call 855.568.7886, or contact Yolande Mucharbach at 702.685.7070 or muchary@ccf.org. For more information about the Center and other ongoing trials, visit ClevelandClinic.org/brainhealth.