Clinical Trials at Banner Health Research Institute

Banner Sun Health Research Institute offers a variety of clinical trials and other research studies to patients, family members and people in the community who wish to contribute to finding an end to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

These research studies:

• Help to advance medicine and medical care
• Evaluate the safety and efficacy of medications and other medical treatments for Alzheimer’s
• Increase our understanding of the disease and its impact on quality of life

We have more than 25 studies, and there are usually 10 open for enrollment at any time.  We typically offer several different kinds of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s studies, including those that evaluate:

• Medications that may enhance memory and thinking ability
• Medications that may  delay worsening of the disease
• Immunotherapies such as vaccines in delaying the progression of  disease
• Medications specifically designed to help people with severe Alzheimer’s dementia
• The long term course of people with very early signs of memory loss but no loss of ability to function on a daily basis
• New brain-imaging techniques
• New techniques for early diagnosis 
• Quality of life issues for the patient and their families
• New approaches to serve our minority populations including Latinos and Native Americans

What’s in it for me or my family?

• Access to investigational treatments before they become widely available
• Play a vital role in the discovery of treatments, cures and prevention
• Play a more active role in your own health care
• Access to free physical examinations and diagnostic tests associated with the study
• Access to social support programs
• Most research projects offer monetary compensation for time and travel
• Opportunity to make a contribution to the science

What would be required from me and or my family?

Every study has unique requirements developed specifically for what it is trying to measure. Some common requirements include:

• Signing consent forms for a specific study
• Being able to come for one or many visits to the  Banner Sun Health Research Institute
• Physical examination and/or laboratory studies
• Head imaging such as MRI, CT or PET imaging 
• Memory and thinking tests
• Studies usually require participation of a study partner