October 22, 2026

Launch of AD-SMART – a trial to test Alzheimer’s treatments

AD- SMART (Alzheimer’s disease Systematic Multi-arm Adaptive Randomised Trial) is a first-of-its-kind Alzheimer’s trial that will test multiple drugs simultaneously in parallel groups of participants, potentially halving the time taken to test new treatments.

The trial will examine whether these medicines can slow the decline in memory and thinking skills, and make a meaningful difference to people’s ability to carry out everyday activities over the 18 months of the trial.

The trial is led by the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) and Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) in partnership with Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

Journalist came to hear from experts on the trial as it gets underway, as well as representatives from the UK DRI and ARUK.

Speakers included:

Prof Paresh Malhotra, AD-SMART Chief Investigator, UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London

Prof Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute

Dr Sheona Scales, Director of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK

Linda Pointon, AD-SMART Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Lead, University of Cambridge