Safety and Modulation of ABCC9 Pathways by Nicorandil for the Treatment of Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging — SMArT-HS  

Dementia Clinical Trial

Official title: Safety and Modulation of ABCC9 Pathways by Nicorandil for the Treatment of Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging: SMArT-HS

Status Recruiting

Clinical Trial Summary

Widespread recognition of the current and projected impact of the dementia epidemic has spurred research into novel drug discovery efforts. It is well recognized by most that Alzheimer's disease is not the only form of dementia and that beginning to turn attention to other disease states is critically important in order to alleviate this burden on the elderly population today This proposal seeks to further progress in this area through the repurposing an existing drug therapy as a potential treatment for Hippocampal Sclerosis of Aging. This disease is seldom recognized clinically and yet is the number one Alzheimer's disease mimic the confounds are diagnostic and treatment of subjects suffering from dementia and as of yet has no potential therapeutic interventions identified. As such, the proposed study represents a cutting-edge, data-driven, low-cost, exploration of a novel disease relevant pathway that may hold promise for global efforts targeting late life dementia which is a major health priority in America today.

Clinical Trial Description

The proposed project is a pilot clinical trial investigating a potential treatment for hippocampal sclerosis of aging (HS-Aging), a prevalent, high-morbidity mimic of Alzheimer's disease (AD). "AD mimics" (diseases with pathologies other than AD but with similar symptoms) are increasingly appreciated to be important causes of dementia. HS-Aging is a major subtype of dementia, affecting ~10-25% of all persons beyond age 85 and is generally misdiagnosed as AD. The primary aims of this study are to test the safety and efficacy of nicorandil for HS-Aging, based on much prior work elucidating a pharmacologically targetable mechanism for this common cause of cognitive decline and dementia in the aging population. Nicorandil is a vasorelaxant drug, used clinically to treat angina and heart disease disease in the elderly, that has not been tested in humans for the prevention or treatment of dementia. The proposed pilot clinical trial represents the first attempt to expedite drug discovery in HS-Aging, and will guide the rational design of future large-scale Phase II & III prevention trials for this prevalent disease that is a major contributor to the personal suffering of patients and caregivers as well as a major cost to health care expenditures in America today. The potential success of this trial will not only help millions within immediately available treatment for their condition but may also ameliorate the booming economic burden of healthcare costs in America today related to late life dementia. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cognitive Dysfunction
• Dementia
• Mild Cognitive Impairment
• Sclerosis

• NCT number: NCT04120766
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: University of Kentucky
• Contact: Gregory A Jicha, MD, PhD
• Phone: 18593235550
• Email: gregory.jicha@uky.edu
• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: Phase 2
• Start date: December 1, 2021
• Completion date: November 20, 2024