NIHR Backed Trial Could Cut Years Off Alzheimer’s Treatment Search
The NIHR is backing a first-of-its-kind UK clinical trial that could cut years off the search for effective Alzheimer’s treatments.
The national trial, called AD-SMART (Alzheimer’s disease Systematic Multi-arm Adaptive Randomised Trial), uses an innovative platform design to test several potential medicines at once.
AD-SMART evaluates multiple active treatments against a single shared placebo group.
The study team checks results at regular stages throughout the trial.
Any drug that does not show clear benefit can be dropped quickly, while new promising treatments are added to the platform.
Researchers are starting with treatments for type 2 diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
This adaptive approach accelerates testing timelines by more than half, while reducing costs and ensuring more participants receive an active treatment rather than a placebo.
Around 600,000 people in the UK live with Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, there are no NHS treatments that slow or stop its underlying progression.
AD-SMART directly addresses this urgent care gap by adapting testing methods previously proven in cancer and motor neuron disease research.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “I know how it feels to lose a loved one to dementia and have seen first-hand the devastating impact this illness has on families.
“That’s why I’m proud to see this trial being launched in the UK, so that cutting edge treatments can reach patients here as soon as possible.
“I have made dementia research a national priority. I want Britain to be the leading nation, making the breakthroughs that change people’s lives.”
Professor Paresh Malhotra, Chief Investigator and NIHR National Specialty Lead for Dementia and Neurodegeneration, said: “For too long, Alzheimer’s research has moved at the pace of one drug, one trial, one answer, sometimes taking a decade or more before we know if we’ve found something that works.
“We are applying advances from cancer and other conditions to accelerate testing of treatments for people with Alzheimer’s disease. The way AD-SMART is set up means we’re testing several treatments at the same time, and those that don’t show promise can be quickly stopped. Then we can start testing something else. That’s the best way to get effective treatments to patients as quickly as we can.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the NIHR, said: “For 20 years, the NIHR has empowered experts to tackle some of the biggest challenges in health and care, ensuring research reaches the people who need it most.
“I am delighted to welcome the launch of AD-SMART, a ground-breaking trial that will accelerate the testing of potential treatments for people affected by Alzheimer’s. It is a prime example of the ambitious, innovative research we need, which is why the NIHR has committed to its ongoing support as it opens more sites across the UK.
“AD-SMART will also play an important role in our ambition to increase participation in dementia clinical trials across the UK, strengthening our ability to test new treatments.”
The study is led by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer’s Research UK. It is delivered in partnership with the NIHR, Medical Research Council, Health Data Research UK.
Recruitment is already open at NHS trusts in the following locations:
• London
• Cambridgeshire,
• Surrey
• Edinburgh
• Southampton
Over the next 18 months, up to 20 NHS sites will open across the UK, with more than 30 planned overall. Researchers aim to recruit 1,200 participants nationwide over the initial four-year evaluation period.
People with a confirmed Alzheimer’s diagnosis can register their interest by emailing the AD-SMART trial team at adsmart@psych.ox.ac.uk or by visiting the Join Dementia Research webpage.
