药物将同步接受测试，人们希望这能加快为这种常见类型的痴呆症寻找新疗法的进程。
Drugs will be tested simultaneously, which it's hoped will speed up the process of finding new treatments for this common type of dementia.
费格斯·沃尔什报道 英国启动了一项临床试验，科学家希望这能将寻找阿尔茨海默病新疗法的时间缩短数年。
By Fergus Walsh A clinical trial has been launched in the UK which scientists hope could cut years from the search for new treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
该试验将同步测试多种药物，首先从两种已用于治疗2型糖尿病和注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的老药新用入手。
It will test multiple drugs simultaneously, starting with two repurposed medicines already used to treat type 2 diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
研究将考察这些药物能否减轻记忆和思维问题等症状，并帮助患者维持生活质量。
The study will examine whether the drugs can lessen symptoms such as memory and thinking problems, and help people maintain their quality of life.
来自剑桥郡的安吉拉·巴克西，67岁，于1月确诊阿尔茨海默病，是名为AD-SMART的这项试验中首位开始接受治疗的参与者。
Angela Bucksey, 67, from Cambridgeshire, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in January and is the first person to begin treatment on the trial, called AD-SMART.
“我们家族有阿尔茨海默病病史，”她告诉英国广播公司（BBC）。
"We have Alzheimer's in the family," she told the BBC.
“我母亲患过此病，姑妈们也患过，所以确诊时我感到的是失望而非震惊，因为我知道这会限制我的生活。
"My mother had it and my aunts, so it was a disappointment rather than a shock when I was diagnosed because I knew it would restrict my life.
“但我下定决心，不让它定义我。” 安吉拉表示，参加试验让她感到充满力量，因为“至少你在做点什么”。
"But I was determined that it wasn't going to define me." Angela said she felt empowered joining the trial because "at least you are doing something".
“与其只是坐以待毙，不如站起来说，我要反击。” 阿尔茨海默病是最常见的痴呆类型，在英国影响约60万人。“前沿疗法”首相安迪·伯纳姆的父亲于上月因阿尔茨海默病去世，他表示深知失去挚亲于痴呆症的痛苦，并亲眼目睹了该疾病对家庭造成的毁灭性打击。
"Instead of just sitting there, you're standing up and saying, I will fight back." Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, affecting around 600,000 people in the UK. 'Cutting-edge treatments' Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose father died from Alzheimer's last month, said he knew how it felt to lose a loved one to dementia, and had seen first-hand the devastating impact of the disease on families.
“这就是为什么我为在英国启动这项试验感到自豪，以便前沿疗法能尽快惠及这里的患者，”他说。
"That's why I'm proud to see this trial being launched in the UK, so that cutting-edge treatments can reach patients here as soon as possible," he said.
AD-SMART研究属于多臂、多阶段平台试验，多种治疗方案同步接受测试，结果将与一组服用安慰剂或假药的参与者对比。这意味着参与者获得活性治疗的可能性比传统试验更高。
The AD-SMART study is what's known as a multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial where several treatments are tested simultaneously, with the results compared with one group of participants taking a placebo or dummy. This means those involved have a higher likelihood of getting an active treatment than in a traditional trial.
如果某种药物未显示出疗效，可迅速将其剔除，并以新疗法取而代之——这种方法已在癌症和运动神经元疾病研究中成功应用。
If any drug isn't showing benefit it can be dropped quickly and a new treatment added in its place - the approach has been used successfully in cancer and motor neurone disease.
首批接受测试的两种药物是二甲双胍（用于治疗2型糖尿病）和托莫西汀（用于治疗ADHD），它们由一个国际专家小组选定。
The two initial drugs being tested are metformin, used to treat type 2 diabetes, and atomoxetine, for ADHD, which were selected by an international panel of experts.
英国痴呆症研究院帝国理工学院护理研究与技术中心负责人、首席研究员帕雷什·马尔霍特拉教授表示，这两种药物可能有助于减轻脑部炎症，而脑部炎症是神经退行性变的驱动因素之一。
Both drugs may help reduce brain inflammation, which is a driver of neurodegeneration, said chief investigator Prof Paresh Malhotra, group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute Centre for Care Research & Technology at Imperial College London.
他对BBC表示：“长期以来，阿尔茨海默病研究一直遵循‘一种药物、一个试验、一个答案’的节奏——有时需要十年甚至更久，我们才能知道是否找到了有效疗法。”
"For too long, Alzheimer's research has moved at the pace of one drug, one trial, one answer - sometimes taking a decade or more before we know if we've found something that works," he told the BBC.
“我们正在借鉴癌症及其他疾病领域的进展，以加速阿尔茨海默病治疗方法的测试。”“从绝望中走回”要使这些药物取得成功，研究必须证明它们对思维能力和日常生活活动能力有益处。马尔霍特拉教授说：“这正是患者及其照护者所关心的。”
"We are applying advances from cancer and other conditions to accelerate testing of treatments for people with Alzheimer's disease." 'Back from despair' For the drugs to be successful, the study has to show that they have beneficial effects on thinking and the ability to carry out everyday activities. "That's what patients and their carers care about," said Prof Malhotra.
约1200名轻度至中度阿尔茨海默病患者将在英国30多个中心入组。剑桥郡、萨里郡、伦敦、南安普顿和爱丁堡的中心已启动招募。
Some 1,200 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's will be recruited at more than 30 sites across the UK. Sites in Cambridgeshire, Surrey, London, Southampton and Edinburgh are already open.
科学家预计将在2030年完成对首批药物的评估，在此期间可能会加入更多治疗方案。
Scientists expect to finish evaluating the first drugs in 2030 and, in that time, additional treatments are likely to be added.
所有参与者将定期接受包括认知测试在内的健康检查，这将帮助研究人员评估治疗效果。
All the participants will have regular health checks including cognitive tests, which will help researchers assess how effective the treatments are.
安吉拉·巴克西的丈夫史蒂夫是她的研究伴侣，他对BBC表示：“参加试验让我们从确诊的绝望中走了出来，大家都知道这种病无法康复。”
Angela Bucksey's husband Steve, who is her study partner, told the BBC: "Joining the trial has brought us back from the despair of a diagnosis which everybody recognises is non-recoverable.
“了解我们正在参加药物试验的人明白我们正在采取行动，他们不必为我们感到遗憾，反而可以给予鼓励。”阿尔茨海默症研究英国分会研究总监希奥娜·斯凯尔斯博士表示，对于阿尔茨海默症患者而言，“时间宝贵”，急需更多治疗选择。
"People who know we are on a drug trial understand that we're doing something about it and, rather than be sorry for us, they can be encouraging." Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK said "time is precious" for people living with Alzheimer's disease and more treatment options are urgently needed.
已确诊阿尔茨海默症且有意参与试验者，可在AD-SMART网站上登记意向。该试验由英国痴呆症研究院和阿尔茨海默症研究英国分会牵头。
People with a confirmed Alzheimer's diagnosis who would like to take part can their interest on the AD-SMART website. The trial is being led by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer's Research UK.
合作伙伴包括国家健康与护理研究院、医学研究理事会和英国健康数据研究院，资金由英国政府提供。
Partners include the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Medical Research Council and Health Data Research UK, with funding by UK government.