Lenalidomide for Potential Treatment of Alzheimer Disease

New phase 2 studies are being initiated for lenalidomide (Revlimid; Bristol Myers Squibb, New York, NY), which is an analogue of thalidomide. Eligible participants include those with early-stage Alzheimer disease (AD)/ mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The first study will evaluate the long-term use of lenalidomide on cognition, as well as safety and tolerability for 20 months. The second study is a 6-month evaluation of short-term use of lenalidomide with a focus on safety and effects on blood and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers. 
 
The National Institute of Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) are supporting these studies that comprise the project “Repurposing Lenalidomide for Early Alzheimer Treatment” led by Marwan Sabbagh, MD, and Boris Decourt, PhD, of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The project aims to identify if lenalidomide reduces inflammation and improves cognition in those living with MCI.
 
Several effects of lenalidomide on the immune system in individuals with cancer have been demonstrated . Additionally, as an FDA-approved drug, lenalidomide safety and toxicity studies are already completed, which will help accelerate testing and progression in AD clinical studies.
 
“To date, disease-modifying therapies have only used a single drug approach to target AD pathologies, and they have all failed. These grants will help us explore a novel approach in reducing several pathologies simultaneously,” said Dr. Sabbagh, director of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. “With its dual mechanistic nature, lenalidomide is particularly intriguing because it has the potential to both reduce chronic inflammation and lower amyloid beta loads in the brain, which are both indicators of AD.”