Dr. Sanjay Asthana heads study
Alzheimer’s slow progress is goal
Alzheimer’s slow progress is goal
By Laura Salinger
Alzheimer’s. The name alone is enough to invoke a guttural cringe among the many who have suffered the
painful ramifications of this disease. Affecting nearly 18 million people worldwide, Alzheimer’s is the most
common cause of dementia in older adults and the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
Scientifically speaking, Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that destroys brain cells,
resulting in the impairment of cognitive ability, memory, and behavior. Emotionally, Alzheimer’s wreaks havoc on
the lives of those afflicted and leaves family members and friends witnessing the slow, painful progression of a
disease that ultimately steals the very essence of the person they love.
Research on Alzheimer’s abounds nationwide and abroad. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s but new
treatment options continuously make the news, each with new promises. That is why Dr. Sanjay Asthana remains
cautiously prudent, even though he is heading up a study on a new investigational drug that researchers hope
will effectively slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
The University of Madison-Wisconsin has recently been named as one of the sites for the ICARA
(Investigational Clinical Amyloid Research in Alzheimer’s) study. Dr. Asthana, who has long been at the forefront
of Alzheimer’s research and treatment in Madison, will head up a team of eight staff members who will study the
effects of the investigational drug Bapineuzumab. The drug works as an antibody against amlyoid protein deposits
in the brain, which are thought to underlie Alzheimer’s neuropathology. Where current medications for Alzheimer’s
work to maximize brain activity, this drug would work to actually slow down the disease’s progression.
Dr. Asthana says the theories behind this drug are promising. Yet, he stresses that at this juncture, it remains
just that, a theory. The study will be the impetus for proving or disproving this theory.
“This is an investigational drug,” Dr. Asthana cautions. “This is not the magical cure. We need to study this
first; we need to see the results.”
Dr. Asthana says there are currently medications on the market that work to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s,
but acknowledges that this drug, if effective, would signal a change in the way Alzheimer’s is treated. In theory,
he says, “the way it works is definitely new and exciting.”
Alzheimer’s. The name alone is enough to invoke a guttural cringe among the many who have suffered the
painful ramifications of this disease. Affecting nearly 18 million people worldwide, Alzheimer’s is the most
common cause of dementia in older adults and the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.
Scientifically speaking, Alzheimer’s disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that destroys brain cells,
resulting in the impairment of cognitive ability, memory, and behavior. Emotionally, Alzheimer’s wreaks havoc on
the lives of those afflicted and leaves family members and friends witnessing the slow, painful progression of a
disease that ultimately steals the very essence of the person they love.
Research on Alzheimer’s abounds nationwide and abroad. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s but new
treatment options continuously make the news, each with new promises. That is why Dr. Sanjay Asthana remains
cautiously prudent, even though he is heading up a study on a new investigational drug that researchers hope
will effectively slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
The University of Madison-Wisconsin has recently been named as one of the sites for the ICARA
(Investigational Clinical Amyloid Research in Alzheimer’s) study. Dr. Asthana, who has long been at the forefront
of Alzheimer’s research and treatment in Madison, will head up a team of eight staff members who will study the
effects of the investigational drug Bapineuzumab. The drug works as an antibody against amlyoid protein deposits
in the brain, which are thought to underlie Alzheimer’s neuropathology. Where current medications for Alzheimer’s
work to maximize brain activity, this drug would work to actually slow down the disease’s progression.
Dr. Asthana says the theories behind this drug are promising. Yet, he stresses that at this juncture, it remains
just that, a theory. The study will be the impetus for proving or disproving this theory.
“This is an investigational drug,” Dr. Asthana cautions. “This is not the magical cure. We need to study this
first; we need to see the results.”
Dr. Asthana says there are currently medications on the market that work to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s,
but acknowledges that this drug, if effective, would signal a change in the way Alzheimer’s is treated. In theory,
he says, “the way it works is definitely new and exciting.”
| UW-Madison’s Dr. Sanjay Asthana, who has long been at the forefront of Alzheimer’s research and treatment in Madison, heads up a team of eight staff members who will study the effects of the investigational drug Bapineuzumab. |
In total, the ICARA study will work with around 2,050 men and women between the ages of 50-88 who have been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s
at approximately 150 to 200 test sites in the U.S. and Canada. In Madison, researchers are hoping to enroll around 10 to 15 study participants who will
receive six infusions of the investigational drug every 13 weeks for 65 weeks. Dr. Asthana estimates that it will be several years before the results of the
ICARA study are finalized.
Dr. Asthana has been involved in Alzheimer’s research and treatment since 1990. He is currently the head of the section of geriatrics and gerontology
at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine; director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the Madison VA Medical
Center; and director of the new and highly-lauded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Asthana graduated from the University College of Medical
Sciences-University of Delhi (New Delhi, India), performed his residency at the Saskatchewan School of Medicine (Canada) and his fellowship at John
Hopkins University School of Medicine. For nearly two decades, he has been involved in cutting-edge research surrounding Alzheimer’s; his most
extensive research was on how estrogen treatments affect the development of Alzheimer’s in women.
Yet, science and training aside, Dr. Asthana also has a very personal relationship with Alzheimer’s and the effect it has on families. During the
beginning of his work with Alzheimer’s, Dr. Asthana was ironically the one to diagnose his own father with the disease.
“The emotional toll of Alzheimer’s is really indescribable, both for the patient and the family,” Dr. Asthana says. “I lost my own father to Alzheimer’s. He
lived with it for 17 years.”
Dr. Asthana says it is the human side of Alzheimer’s that really makes the disease uniquely painful. To lose what he describes as that which defines us as
humans — cognitive abilities and basic human functions — is the ultimate dehumanization. The toll on everyone involved is immeasurable.
“It is very difficult for the family to see a loved one really go down with their brain function,” Dr. Asthana says. “People can live with this disease for a
very long time, so suffering is prolonged.”
It is also costly. Dr. Asthana estimates the cost, often out-of-pocket, at $30-40,000 a year. For Alzheimer’s patients who need to be placed in a nursing
home, the cost is upwards of $100,000 a year.
It is partly Dr. Asthana’s human relationship with Alzheimer’s that has kept him involved with the disease, despite the hard work that researching
entails.
“Seeing my father’s suffering made me very determined to continue work in Alzheimer’s and to continue my research,” he says.
Dr. Asthana will now move forward with the ICARA study in Madison, along with other crucial research. While he is reluctant to acknowledge the idea of a
miracle cure or drug for Alzheimer’s, he sees promise in the research to come.
at approximately 150 to 200 test sites in the U.S. and Canada. In Madison, researchers are hoping to enroll around 10 to 15 study participants who will
receive six infusions of the investigational drug every 13 weeks for 65 weeks. Dr. Asthana estimates that it will be several years before the results of the
ICARA study are finalized.
Dr. Asthana has been involved in Alzheimer’s research and treatment since 1990. He is currently the head of the section of geriatrics and gerontology
at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine; director of the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the Madison VA Medical
Center; and director of the new and highly-lauded Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Asthana graduated from the University College of Medical
Sciences-University of Delhi (New Delhi, India), performed his residency at the Saskatchewan School of Medicine (Canada) and his fellowship at John
Hopkins University School of Medicine. For nearly two decades, he has been involved in cutting-edge research surrounding Alzheimer’s; his most
extensive research was on how estrogen treatments affect the development of Alzheimer’s in women.
Yet, science and training aside, Dr. Asthana also has a very personal relationship with Alzheimer’s and the effect it has on families. During the
beginning of his work with Alzheimer’s, Dr. Asthana was ironically the one to diagnose his own father with the disease.
“The emotional toll of Alzheimer’s is really indescribable, both for the patient and the family,” Dr. Asthana says. “I lost my own father to Alzheimer’s. He
lived with it for 17 years.”
Dr. Asthana says it is the human side of Alzheimer’s that really makes the disease uniquely painful. To lose what he describes as that which defines us as
humans — cognitive abilities and basic human functions — is the ultimate dehumanization. The toll on everyone involved is immeasurable.
“It is very difficult for the family to see a loved one really go down with their brain function,” Dr. Asthana says. “People can live with this disease for a
very long time, so suffering is prolonged.”
It is also costly. Dr. Asthana estimates the cost, often out-of-pocket, at $30-40,000 a year. For Alzheimer’s patients who need to be placed in a nursing
home, the cost is upwards of $100,000 a year.
It is partly Dr. Asthana’s human relationship with Alzheimer’s that has kept him involved with the disease, despite the hard work that researching
entails.
“Seeing my father’s suffering made me very determined to continue work in Alzheimer’s and to continue my research,” he says.
Dr. Asthana will now move forward with the ICARA study in Madison, along with other crucial research. While he is reluctant to acknowledge the idea of a
miracle cure or drug for Alzheimer’s, he sees promise in the research to come.
Laura Salinger is a
freelance writer
based in Madison,
Wis.
freelance writer
based in Madison,
Wis.
