Singapore – Amgen and Novartis announced an expanded collaboration with the Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) to initiate a new trial – the Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) Generation Study 2. This trial follows the launch of the Generation Study 1, and will determine whether the BACE1 inhibitor CNP520 can prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease symptoms in a high-risk population. BACE1 is an enzyme that plays an important role in the production of Amyloid β, a protein which accumulates in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease years before clinical symptoms begin.

"As a leader in the challenging fight to unlock the biology of serious illnesses like Alzheimer's disease, we are pleased to support the launch of the Generation Study 2 with our partners at Novartis and Banner Alzheimer's Institute to further explore promising potential therapeutic options for this highly debilitating disease," said Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "Through the unique combination of genetic testing and counselling in cognitively healthy adults, the Generation Study 2 exhibits an innovative clinical approach that may offer insight towards Alzheimer's prevention for those at highest risk for developing the disease."

Participants will be recruited via multiple venues, including the Alzheimer's Prevention Registry's GeneMatch program in the U.S. GeneMatch is a first-of-its-kind program designed to identify a large group of people interested in volunteering for Alzheimer's prevention research studies, based in part on their APOE genetic information.