This month, two key initiatives have come to fruition that will improve access to dementia clinical trials in Australia, both for referring clinicians and for individuals.

The ADNeT Volunteer Portal is a register for persons who would like to participate in research into the causes, prevention, and treatment of dementia. Importantly, volunteers do not need to have dementia to participate. All individuals aged 50 and over can register and complete a few questions. This allows us to match the person to suitable trials and research projects as they become available. If the person matches current trial and/or research needs, they will be contacted and invited to participate in a more detailed assessment.

The benefits of participating in a clinical trial or research study are significant.

For the person volunteering, it means access to assessments and, sometimes, longitudinal tracking not normally available for individuals. For persons living with dementia, participating in a trial may be their best way to access promising new therapies.  Either way, people participating in trials make a significant contribution to advancing medical knowledge and treatments.

“We are at the start of an exciting period in dementia research in Australia, with several new major trials just about to begin recruiting”, said Dr Jo Robertson, ADNeT Screening and Trials Coordinator. “We cannot guarantee a place in a trial or study, as each will have specific matching criteria, but what we can do is to pre-assess and match individuals, giving them the best chance at being accepted into the relevant trial.”

To refer your patient to our program, complete a referral form <available here/link> and send to ADNET-screening@unimelb.edu.au. Interested patients can also register their interest on our online volunteer portal accessible via our website www.australiandementianetwork.org.au

For more information, contact Dr Jo Robertson, our national ADNeT Screening and Trials coordinator, at jo.robertson@unimelb.edu.au or 0408 508 121