The Fundació ACE, with the support of Grifols, opens a new center for the treatment and research of Alzheimer's disease

Barcelona, December 12, 2013: Grifols one of the world's leading manufacturers of plasma-derived medicines, and Fundació ACE, a pioneer in Spain of the diagnosis, investigation and treatment of aging, cognitive deterioration and dementia, are working together on a new center for the diagnosis, treatment and research of Alzheimer's disease.

The "Barcelona Alzheimer Treatment & Research Center" will be an independent center, designed to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, and to promote biomedical research into these conditions, for which there is currently no cure. It aims to establish itself as one of the leading European establishments in this field.

The center has been designed in accordance with the Fundació ACE's detailed social and health care and management model. This model was recognized as an example of best practice in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia and embodies over 17 years of experience of serving patients and their families. Between 1996 and 2011, the Fundació ACE evaluated over 14,000 individuals – of whom 47% were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease – and it has Europe's largest and most comprehensive genetic database for dementia. This knowledge base is complemented by a pioneering model based on integrated patient care that offers an opportunity to optimize research into new therapeutic strategies.

Grifols is promoting this initiative within the framework of its global Alzheimer's research strategy, through a financial donation and a long-term partnership agreement with the Fundació ACE, the organization responsible for coordinating and managing the center on an independent basis.
The center will be operational from January 2014 and the first research project it will host is Grifols' AMBAR study (Alzheimer's Disease Management by Albumin Replacement) trialing a combined treatment of plasma replacement and albumin (plasma protein) therapy for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in patients whose condition is mild to moderate. Grifols will also be conducting studies of diagnostic kits and active immunization kits that use vaccines developed through its company Araclon Biotech.

As an independent center, the "Barcelona Alzheimer Treatment & Research Center" will be open to collaboration with other research groups and other pharmaceutical companies.

Grifols: an ongoing commitment to research

Grifols' support for this initiative reflects its longstanding commitment to improving people's health, and is part of its interest in promoting research into the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. This initiative will make it possible to bring together the various different studies that together make up its integrated Alzheimer's disease research strategy, and that currently include:

• AMBAR study: combining plasmapheresis with albumin.
• Early diagnosis: validation of a new diagnostic kit.
• Prevention and protection through vaccination.

The project will also ensure that all patients participating in studies enjoy the highest possible ethical and care standards.

A center that meets the requirements of the National Alzheimer's Project in the USA

The "Barcelona Alzheimer Treatment & Research Center" is located on Avda. Carlos III, 85 bis, in Barcelona, and measures approximately 1800 m2, consisting of two main areas:

• The Diagnostic Unit, which establishes global diagnoses by consensus, on the basis of neurological, neuropsychological, social and psychiatric studies, if required.
• The Clinical Trials and Research Unit, which provides treatment on an outpatient basis.

Staff at the center will work in multidisciplinary teams of neurologists, specialists in caring for older people, and hematologists, together with neuropsychologists, specialists in apheresis, biostatisticians, social workers and nurses, among others.

As an independent center specializing in neurodegenerative diseases, it will make it possible to offer integrated care to people with Alzheimer's disease, diagnosis through to treatment, including the possibility of taking part in clinical trials conducted at the center. integrated care includes providing personalized care to family members through information, education and support programs.

In this regard, the center satisfies many of the requirements set out in the National Alzheimer's Project in the USA and, in particular, one of its core stipulations: the need to develop service models and patient care models that are effective, sustainable and evaluable .

The first project to be hosted by the center: Grifols' AMBAR study

The first research project to be hosted by the center is Grifols' AMBAR study (Alzheimer Management by Albumin Replacement) and Grifols also plans to conduct studies with the diagnostic and vaccine kits being developed by Araclon Biotech.

AMBAR is a trial of a combined therapy of plasma exchange with albumin replacement in different doses for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, an innovative approach to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

AMBAR is a multi-center study that will include 365 people with Alzheimer's disease at the mild to moderate stage, randomly assigned to three treatment groups plus a fourth control group, recruited from hospitals in Spain and the United States. Patients will be enrolled through the 17 hospitals in Spain and 20 hospitals in the United States currently participating in the study. AMBAR will be directed by Dr. Mercè Boada, medical director of Fundació ACE.

BOADA, M., TARRAGA, L., HERNANDEZ, I., VALERO, S., ALEGRET, M., RUIZ, A., LOPEZ, O., BECKER, J. - Design of a comprehensive Alzheimer's disease clinic and research center in Spain to meet critical patient and family needs ¬ Alzheimer¹s & Dementia 2013 Sep 10. pii: S1552-5260(13)00133-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2013.03.006

Ver document anexo: Alzheimer¹s & Dementia 2013 Sep 10. pii: S1552-5260(13)00133-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2013.03.006.