GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — In Grand Rapids, a group with Michigan State University is researching to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
The Alzheimer’s Alliance is located at the MSU Grand Rapids Research Center on Monroe Avenue NW at the Michigan Street NW intersection.
The group runs a series of clinical trials, connecting the people who have the disease with researchers trying to stop it. It also gives people access to clinical research studies, information about the disease and free memory screenings.
David Morgan, the director of the Alzheimer’s Alliance, said about two years ago when he came to the greater Grand Rapids area there was very little to no access to clinical trials. They started up the group to help.
Right now, the group is signing up patients for the free PACT Trial — Preventing Alzheimer’s with Cognitive Training.
Researchers will have participants play games to test their cognitive abilities. Then in three years they will check to see if anything changed. If their cognitive abilities did decline, researchers will test participants to see exactly what happened.
“The study will almost always benefit the individuals who participate. They will get state-of-the-art medical care, including something we call a PET scan. It lets us see if there is material building up in your brain called amyloid. We think that this is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Before that, we had to just look through the microscope if we were to ultimately be able to tell if you had Alzheimer’s disease,” said Morgan.
More information on the Alzheimer’s Alliance and PACT Trial can be found online.
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