Baptist Health is\u00a0taking part\u00a0in a groundbreaking\u00a0clinical\u00a0study to\u00a0treat Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0The health system\u2019s\u00a0participation in the\u00a0first-of-its-kind surgical\u00a0trial\u00a0reflects\u00a0its\u00a0commitment to\u00a0research\u00a0and\u00a0innovation.\u00a0Baptist Health is the first\u00a0health system\u00a0in\u00a0the United States\u00a0to\u00a0take part in\u00a0the\u00a0study.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor patients and their loved ones facing Alzheimer\u2019s, innovative treatments\u00a0cannot come soon enough,\u201d said Matthew A. Zuino, president and CEO of Baptist Health. \u201cThrough\u00a0clinical trials,\u00a0we are\u00a0expanding\u00a0regional\u00a0access\u00a0to novel therapies,\u00a0advancing research and leading the way for community health systems in academic medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n
An estimated 7.2 million\u00a0Americans age 65 and older, or\u00a0around\u00a0one in nine,\u00a0have\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s\u00a0disease. It is\u00a0the most\u00a0common form\u00a0of dementia, affecting\u00a0memory,\u00a0thinking\u00a0and behavior.\u00a0Florida has one of the highest rates in the country, with\u00a012.5% of\u00a0its residents\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a065-and-older age bracket\u00a0living with the\u00a0neurological\u00a0condition. As\u00a0increasing age is the greatest risk factor for developing Alzheimer\u2019s\u00a0and\u00a0Americans\u00a0are\u00a0living\u00a0longer,\u00a0the disease\u2019s impact\u00a0is expected to\u00a0grow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Recent research suggests that\u00a0blockages\u00a0in\u00a0the brain\u2019s\u00a0lymphatic system\u00a0may play a role in\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s. When the brain cannot effectively clear waste proteins, they can build up,\u00a0cause\u00a0inflammation\u00a0and contribute\u00a0to\u00a0increased\u00a0memory loss and cognitive decline.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
New robotic microsurgical approach\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0REMIND\u00a0(Robotic-Enabled Microsurgical Intervention for Neurodegenerative Disease)\u00a0early\u00a0feasibility study\u00a0considers\u00a0a\u00a0new\u00a0robotic surgical approach to\u00a0clear these waste proteins and\u00a0improve\u00a0lymphatic drainage.<\/p>\n
This\u00a0study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of using the\u00a0Symani Surgical System, a robotic microsurgical platform\u00a0with\u00a0special wristed\u00a0instruments to\u00a0replicate\u00a0the natural movements of the human hand at a micro scale, enhancing surgical precision and control. It\u00a0helps\u00a0surgeons\u00a0connect\u00a0deep cervical lymph nodes or lymphatic vessels,\u00a0so fine they are no thicker than two sheets of paper,\u00a0to nearby veins to help the brain drain waste and harmful proteins\u00a0more effectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This\u00a0is the first study to use a robotic-enabled microsurgical system to treat Alzheimer\u2019s.\u00a0The surgical platform received approval\u00a0for soft tissue manipulation to perform microsurgery\u00a0from the\u00a0U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2024.\u00a0The\u00a0study\u00a0received\u00a0FDA\u00a0approval\u00a0under\u00a0an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE)\u00a0in\u00a0late\u00a02025.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis\u00a0robotic\u00a0surgical procedure\u00a0may reshape\u00a0the way\u00a0we approach neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer\u2019s,\u201d\u00a0said neurosurgeon Ricardo Hanel, MD, PhD, the co-medical director of the Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center and\u00a0principal\u00a0investigator of the study at Baptist Health.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0exciting\u00a0to be part of this landmark study\u00a0and potentially\u00a0offer\u00a0hope to patients and families living with this condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen the impact this innovative\u00a0technology\u00a0can have in\u00a0breast reconstructive\u00a0and lymphatic\u00a0surgery, and I\u2019m proud to be\u00a0involved in\u00a0pioneering\u00a0its use in a\u00a0whole\u00a0new\u00a0area,\u00a0which could open\u00a0the door to more\u00a0possibilities\u00a0for\u00a0patients with Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u201d\u00a0said Michael DeFazio, MD, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with\u00a0Florida Plastic Surgery Group who performed the procedure\u00a0with Hanel\u00a0at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville.<\/p>\n
Baptist Health is a regional leader in neurology and\u00a0neurosurgery, regularly\u00a0recognized\u00a0by\u00a0U.S. News\u00a0&\u00a0World Report\u00a0and others.\u00a0World-class specialists\u00a0at\u00a0Baptist Neurology and Lyerly Neurosurgery collaborate to\u00a0diagnose\u00a0and\u00a0treat a wide range of conditions\u00a0of the spine,\u00a0brain\u00a0and nervous system.<\/p>\n
These\u00a0include\u00a0stroke,\u00a0multiple sclerosis,\u00a0vascular disorders,\u00a0seizures and head and neck pain\u00a0as well as\u00a0nerve and muscle conditions, such as Parkinson\u2019s disease, muscular\u00a0dystrophy\u00a0and Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease.\u00a0Recognized for minimally invasive, innovative treatments and groundbreaking research,\u00a0Baptist Health\u00a0brings enhanced neurological care to patients throughout Northeast Florida. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Baptist Health is\u00a0taking part\u00a0in a groundbreaking\u00a0clinical\u00a0study to\u00a0treat Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0The health system\u2019s\u00a0participation in the\u00a0first-of-its-kind surgical\u00a0trial\u00a0reflects\u00a0its\u00a0commitment to\u00a0research\u00a0and\u00a0innovation.\u00a0Baptist Health is the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":273089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-273753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}