Barrow neurological sits at the center of this dementia and brain health question.

In March 2026, Barrow Neurological Institute launched two groundbreaking clinical trials specifically designed to treat early-stage Alzheimer’s disease through novel approaches: one using a bone cancer medication to reduce brain inflammation, and another repurposing an established multiple sclerosis drug to reprogram the immune system. These trials represent a significant shift in Alzheimer’s research, moving away from late-stage interventions toward earlier detection and treatment windows when the brain may be more responsive to therapeutic intervention. Led by Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, the trials are enrolling patients ages 50-90 with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease, offering hope to thousands of people in the early stages of cognitive decline who currently have limited treatment options beyond Leqembi and similar monoclonal antibody therapies.

What Are the Two New Trials at Barrow Neurological Institute?
Why Target Inflammation and Immune Dysfunction in Early Alzheimer’s?
Who Can Participate in These Barrow Trials?
How to Enroll and What Participation Involves
Repurposed Drugs in Alzheimer’s Research: Benefits and Risks
Dr. Marwan Sabbagh’s Leadership and Approach
The Broader Landscape of Alzheimer’s Clinical Research in 2026
Conclusion

What Are the Two New Trials at Barrow Neurological Institute?

Barrow’s dual-trial approach targets two distinct biological pathways implicated in Alzheimer’s disease progression. The first trial uses a bone cancer medication—originally developed to treat malignancies—that has been shown to reduce inflammation in the brain, addressing what researchers understand to be one of the major pathological changes driving Alzheimer’s development. The second trial takes a different angle, repurposing an established multiple sclerosis medication to reprogram how the immune system interacts with the brain.

Rather than simply clearing protein plaques or tangles, this approach seeks to alter immune dysfunction itself, a component now recognized as central to neurodegeneration. Both trials focus specifically on mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stages, a critical window often overlooked in Alzheimer’s research. This is significant because patients at this stage—those experiencing noticeable memory loss but not yet meeting full dementia criteria—may still have enough cognitive reserve to benefit from intervention. For the MS drug trial, enrollment is particularly broad: patients already on intravenous therapies like Leqembi are eligible, allowing researchers to explore potential synergies between different treatment modalities rather than requiring patients to choose one approach over another.

What Are the Two New Trials at Barrow Neurological Institute?

Why Target Inflammation and Immune Dysfunction in Early Alzheimer’s?

For decades, Alzheimer’s research focused almost exclusively on amyloid-beta plaques and tau tangles—the hallmark pathological markers visible under a microscope. However, growing evidence suggests that chronic neuroinflammation and immune system dysfunction may actually precede or accelerate the accumulation of these proteins. The brain possesses its own immune cells called microglia, and when these cells become chronically activated or dysfunctional, they can inadvertently damage healthy neurons while attempting to clear debris. By targeting inflammation early, researchers theorize that the brain might avoid some of the cascading damage that leads to irreversible cognitive loss.

However, this approach carries important caveats. While inflammation is recognized as harmful in Alzheimer’s, some inflammatory responses are actually protective—they help clear damaged cells and support neuroplasticity. A medication that broadly suppresses inflammation might inadvertently interfere with beneficial immune processes, a tradeoff that will require careful monitoring throughout these trials. Additionally, if participants have advanced cognitive decline or other neurological conditions causing secondary inflammation, the trials may not be appropriate, which is why enrollment criteria are so specific.

Who Can Participate in These Barrow Trials?

Enrollment is open to individuals ages 50-90 with mild cognitive impairment specifically due to Alzheimer’s disease. This age range reflects both the typical onset window for Alzheimer’s and the need to study people who are still cognitively intact enough to provide informed consent and potentially benefit from early intervention. Mild cognitive impairment is the threshold—more advanced than normal aging-related memory loss, but not yet meeting dementia criteria. Participants in the MS drug trial can be concurrently taking intravenous immunotherapies like Leqembi, expanding access for patients already engaged in Alzheimer’s treatment.

The emphasis on early-stage disease is deliberate. By the time someone receives a dementia diagnosis, significant neuronal death has already occurred—potentially decades of accumulated damage. Intervening during the MCI stage, when the brain is still compensating adequately enough to maintain independence, offers a theoretically wider window for treatment effectiveness. For those interested in participation, Barrow’s enrollment team can be reached at 602-406-6889 to discuss eligibility, medical history, and what involvement would entail.

Who Can Participate in These Barrow Trials?

How to Enroll and What Participation Involves

The enrollment process begins with a screening conversation with Barrow’s research team at 602-406-6889, where staff will review your cognitive history, current medications, and any other medical conditions relevant to trial safety. If initial screening indicates potential eligibility, you’ll be invited for an in-person or virtual evaluation that typically includes cognitive testing to confirm mild cognitive impairment status and baseline brain imaging to establish your starting point. From there, if you’re accepted, the trials involve regular clinic visits for examinations, cognitive assessments, and ongoing monitoring.

Participation in clinical trials requires commitment and patience—you’ll need to attend multiple appointments over months, undergo repeat cognitive testing that can be cognitively fatiguing, and potentially receive intravenous infusions or other treatments depending on which trial arm you’re assigned to. The benefit is access to cutting-edge therapeutics that aren’t yet available outside research settings, plus close neurological monitoring from specialists who catch cognitive changes quickly. For those already on Leqembi or considering it, the MS medication trial offers the advantage of combining approaches rather than choosing one treatment over another.

Repurposed Drugs in Alzheimer’s Research: Benefits and Risks

One notable feature of both trials is that they employ existing medications, not novel compounds. The bone cancer drug and MS medication have established safety profiles in their original indications, which theoretically makes them faster to study in new contexts and potentially safer than untested agents. This “drug repurposing” strategy is increasingly common in neurology, where developing entirely new medications for the brain requires surmounting a host of challenges: the blood-brain barrier, off-target effects, and years of preclinical work before human trials begin.

However, using an existing drug for a new indication isn’t automatically safer—the dosing, delivery method, or duration of treatment required for Alzheimer’s may differ significantly from what’s used in cancer or MS patients. Additionally, side effects that were rare or tolerable in short-term cancer treatment might become problematic if treatment is extended long-term for a neurodegenerative disease. Participants should understand that these are research trials, not proven therapies; the goal is to generate evidence, not guarantee benefit. Some participants will receive placebo rather than active drug, and interim results may show that either approach is ineffective, leading to trial closure.

Repurposed Drugs in Alzheimer's Research: Benefits and Risks

Dr. Marwan Sabbagh’s Leadership and Approach

Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, the neurologist leading these trials, brings substantial expertise in cognitive disorders and clinical trial design. His involvement signals a serious, well-resourced research effort rather than a small pilot study.

Barrow Neurological Institute itself is a recognized center for neurological research and care, located in Phoenix and affiliated with the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, an established network of academic and clinical institutions collaborating on dementia research and care coordination. Sabbagh’s dual-trial approach reflects current thinking in neurology: that Alzheimer’s is not a single disease requiring a single treatment, but rather a complex syndrome where different biological pathways may need simultaneous targeting for meaningful cognitive preservation. This multi-pronged strategy, combined with the focus on early-stage disease, positions these trials as part of a broader scientific shift toward earlier detection and prevention-oriented interventions.

The Broader Landscape of Alzheimer’s Clinical Research in 2026

These Barrow trials arrive at a pivotal moment in Alzheimer’s research. Leqembi (lecanemab), the first disease-modifying monoclonal antibody against amyloid, has demonstrated modest slowing of cognitive decline in early symptomatic disease—a proof of concept that early intervention can help, but also evidence that amyloid-targeting alone is insufficient for most patients.

The field is now rapidly expanding toward combination therapies, immune system modulation, and inflammation-targeting agents, exactly the territory these two Barrow trials explore. Looking forward, successful outcomes from these trials could reshape how Alzheimer’s is treated, moving from a single-drug model toward personalized combinations tailored to each patient’s specific biological drivers of neurodegeneration. Even if one or both trials ultimately show limited efficacy, the data generated will advance understanding of which immune pathways matter most in human Alzheimer’s disease—knowledge that informs the next generation of treatments.

Conclusion

Barrow Neurological Institute’s two new Alzheimer’s clinical trials represent a meaningful expansion of treatment options for people in the early stages of cognitive decline. By targeting inflammation and immune dysfunction—mechanisms now understood as central to Alzheimer’s progression—these trials offer participants a chance to access experimental therapies while contributing to research that could eventually transform dementia care.

For those ages 50-90 with mild cognitive impairment who are interested in exploring clinical trial participation, contacting Barrow’s enrollment team at 602-406-6889 is a concrete next step. The trials underscore an important shift in dementia care: earlier recognition and intervention during the mild cognitive impairment stage, before irreversible cognitive loss occurs. If you or a family member is experiencing memory concerns or has received an MCI diagnosis, discussing these trials—and the broader landscape of Alzheimer’s research—with your neurologist can help determine whether participation aligns with your health goals and circumstances.