The University of Hawaii medical school is looking for more than a dozen patients with Alzheimer’s disease to be a part of a clinical trial for a drug that could slow the progression of the disease.

The medicine already has been demonstrated to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, said principal investigator Beau Nakamoto, an associate professor of medicine at the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine. Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals Inc. is developing the drug.

“Although Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, there is presently no cure for the more than 5 million Americans living with the disease,” he said. “What this trial is designed to do is to see if people with Alzheimer’s disease who get this medicine have decreased levels of inflammation in the blood, which is produced by a certain cell that may play a role in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s.”

JABSOM is recruiting 14 people, seven of whom will be randomly assigned to obtain the medicine and seven who will be given a placebo.

There are limited therapies for those suffering with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., affecting as many as 27,000 Hawaii residents. The cause of Alzheimer’s is unknown.

There’s no cost to be in the trial. For more information, contact UH at 692-1332 through Dec. 15.