Giving hope: CMH leads the way in Alzheimer’s treatment
John Duff sits in a chair, drinking a Diet Coke at the CMH Infusion Center. Today, Duff is one of the first in southwest Missouri to receive a treatment of a new drug that studies have shown to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease – and a dose of hope.
The new treatment, Kisunla, has been shown to reduce amyloid plaques in the brain, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The CMH Research Department, led by Neurologist Dr. Curt Schreiber, participated in the clinical research trial for Kisunla, which the FDA approved in July.
“The new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease opens up more options than ever before for people with the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Not everyone is a candidate, but for the right patient at the right stage of Alzheimer’s, there are more options to consider,” said Dr. Schreiber.
For Duff, he is the right patient at the right stage.
A little over a year ago, Duff’s wife and others began to notice his memory was not quite what it used to be.
“They would point out to me and I blamed it on older age and retirement, you know, every day is Saturday. So I just didn't keep track of things,” Duff said. But symptoms continued to progress.
Duff and his wife met with his medical team, including a neurologist who ordered tests, including a newly developed blood test, known as biomarking, to confirm the diagnosis – Alzheimer’s disease. Once diagnosed, Duff began looking at treatment options and found Dr. Schreiber and Kisunla.
“I was amazed at the progress that has been made on this condition just over the last 5 to 10 years,” Duff said. “And a significant amount of that progress has been in places like Bolivar and Dr. Schreiber, as well as Washington University in Saint Louis, and then throughout the nation. And we know far more about what causes it and how we can treat it.”
Kisunla is administered by intravenous infusion every four weeks, and patients, like Duff, will have regular PET scans to monitor the presence of the amyloid protein, a key characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.
Duff is hopeful the infusions will help slow the progression of the disease.
“If we can slow the progression by several months, maybe 7 or 8 months, that's 7 or 8 months I have with my family, my wife and my children,” Duff said.
Giving hope
Kasie Atchison, a research assistant at the CMH Research Department, joined the department in 2018. As a part of the research team, she works closely with the patients participating in research trials, which can take several years to complete – and not all of them guarantee FDA approval.
“We see patients sometimes every two weeks, sometimes monthly, so they start to become like family to us,” Atchison said. “You get to know their family, you get to know their grandkids, you get to know their siblings, their spouses, and you get to see how it's affecting their life and how it's changing their life. And you get to also just be there to provide support throughout the [Alzheimer’s] disease process. But then whenever [Kisunla] got FDA approved in July, we were able to call all of them and tell them, thank you for your support.”
The CMH Research team began working on Kisunla in March 2021 and, after it received FDA approval, CMH was the first health system in Missouri to add it to its formulary. Giving hope for patients, like Duff, across southwest Missouri.
“This provides hope for them,” Atchison said. “All the patients that have been a part of the research, they do it for altruism. So, they hope that it helps their kids and hope that it helps their grandbabies. And, of course, we hope it helps them, too.”
A sentiment that Duff echoes.
“The people in the research studies are doing it to help others - for their children and grandchildren,” Duff said. “They are not likely to see the benefit of it. They are the heroes.”
The CMH Research team started another trial in November 2024 for patients with early-onset or pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease.
“I am very optimistic that one day we will find the cure, I am amazed at the progress over the last few years. We know far more about the disease and how to treat it, stop the progression and, eventually, cure it all together,” Duff said.
For more information on Alzheimer’s disease research at CMH, call 417-328-7781 or email CMHresearch@citizensmemorial.com. For more information about Kisunla, visit https://kisunla.lilly.com/.
About CMH Research Department
The CMH Research Department began as a part of the CMH Neurology and Headache Center and the Missouri Memory Center. CMH started clinical research studies in 2016 for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and migraine headaches. In 2023, the CMH Research Department was formed to expand research into other areas. Dr. Curtis Schreiber, board certified neurologist, is the principal investigator and has overseen more than 220 research studies. For more information, visit https://cmhbolivar.info/research.