Synexus Announces U.S.-Based Registry to Power Major Longitudinal Study on Brain Aging

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Synexus, the leading global network of dedicated research sites, today announced a collaboration with the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom to launch one of the largest, registry-based research initiatives in the United States to help understand how healthy brains age.

The initial goal of the Synexus HealthyMinds Registry (Synexus HMR) is to register 30,000 adults age 50 or older without signs of dementia for a five-year study to examine the lifestyle and genetic risk factors impacting cognitive function over time to identify potential methods of prevention and possible treatments.

Synexus is collaborating with Acurian, a leading full-service provider of global patient enrollment and retention solutions, to help enroll study participants. Synexus and Acurian are part of Accelerated Enrollment Solutions (AES), a business unit of Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC (PPD), the global contract research organization. Drawing on its extensive recruitment expertise and a database of over 100 million U.S. households, Acurian provides one of the largest pools of potential participants for Alzheimer’s disease longitudinal screening.

“Synexus HMR offers participants the opportunity to help society, and potentially themselves and their loved ones, better understand what causes cognitive decline,” said Dawie Wessels, chief medical officer of Synexus. “We hope to identify ways to prevent and treat dementia so people can maintain greater independence as they age. The registry provides a high level of engagement, pushing out relevant information about the latest advancements in dementia research and treatments, as well as brain-training games designed to help participants stay sharp.”

The first Synexus HMR study is being conducted exclusively online, meaning people with access to the internet can participate in cognitive assessments, lifestyle and medical questionnaires, and brain-training exercises without leaving their homes. In addition, participants will be among the first to learn about clinical trials of promising new treatments for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Additional information about Synexus HMR and how to participate at no cost is available at www.SynexusHMR.com.

“We know dementia risk can be reduced by one-third through improving lifestyle factors from midlife,” said Professor Clive Ballard, executive dean and pro-vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter Medical School. “Our study in the United States will provide valuable information about how the brain changes with age, which combination of factors such as exercise and diet really work, and how we can best encourage people to adopt these changes. This is already proving successful in the U.K., where more than 25,000 people have signed up to help develop better approaches to prevention and treatment, and we’re delighted to help bring this opportunity to the U.S.”

About Accelerated Enrollment Solutions

Accelerated Enrollment Solutions is a business unit of PPD that offers both sponsors and contract research organizations best-in-class site and enrollment solutions, with tiered offerings combining the expertise, as needed, of industry leaders PPD, Synexus, Acurian and Optimal Research. These solutions are available as discrete services or integrated to provide a cohesive and highly differentiated trial acceleration strategy for insourced or outsourced clinical studies, all under performance-based commercial terms. Acurian and Synexus have proven track records for enrolling patients and study conduct through proprietary, direct-to-patient recruitment methodologies and a global site network. When combined, these services provide a new standard of clinical trial productivity that delivers more patients from fewer sites in less time.

About the University of Exeter Medical School

The University of Exeter Medical School is improving the health and well-being of the South West United Kingdom and beyond through the development of high-quality graduates and world-leading research that has international impact. As part of a Russell Group university, the medical school combines this world-class research with very high levels of student satisfaction. The institution achieves its mission through swiftly turning new discoveries into treatments therapies, and through nurturing graduates, staff and researchers who are critical thinkers and problem solvers. The University of Exeter Medical School works closely with the National Health Service and health care providers to ensure its innovations tackle complex global health care needs. For more information, visit https://medicine.exeter.ac.uk.

About PPD

PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 47 countries and approximately 20,000 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a firm commitment to quality to help clients and partners bend the cost and time curve of drug development and optimize value in delivering life-changing therapies to improve health. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com.

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