Synexus launches new patient registry to support longitudinal brain aging study
The Synexus HealthyMinds Registry (Synexus HMR) is being launched in collaboration with the University of Exeter in the UK.
Synexus is working the patient enrollment and retention solutions provider Acurian to enroll 30,000 adults age 50 or older without signs of dementia. Both companies are part of Accelerated Enrollment Solutions (AES), a business unit of the contract research organization (CRO) PPD.
The initial study – which will be conducted entirely online – will examine the lifestyle and genetic risk factors affecting cognitive function.
“Research is urgently needed to identify potential methods of prevention and possible treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia,” said Dawie Wessels, chief medical officer of Synexus.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 5.7m Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s – the sixth leading cause of death in the US – and by 2050, this number is projected to reach 14m.
“Synexus HMR will provide valuable information about how the brain changes with age and investigate which combination of factors such as exercise and diet really work, and how to best encourage people to adopt these changes,” Wessels told us.
The registry will provide participants with information about the latest advancements in dementia research and treatments, as well as “brain training games designed to help participants stay sharp,” he explained.
Additionally, Wessels said participants can consent to genotyping and “will be among the first to learn about clinical trials of promising new treatments for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.”
“Over the next five years, registry participants will be exposed to opportunities to join clinical trials based on their cognitive assessment results,” he added.
