PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

University of Maryland School of Medicine launches groundbreaking study on THC/CBD therapy for dementia-related agitation at end of life

First-of-its-kind clinical trial investigates cannabis-based treatment to improve quality of care for hospice eligible patients with dementia

2025-07-09
(Press-News.org) The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Palliative Medicine Program has launched a new clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Aging to explore a potential treatment for agitation in patients with dementia nearing the end of life. The study focuses on an investigational oral drug, T2:C100, which contains the two active ingredients in cannabis: THC and CBD.

Currently, standard medications such as morphine, valium, and Haldol are commonly used to manage agitation in hospice-eligible patients with dementia. However, these treatments are often ineffective or associated with burdensome side effects, including respiratory suppression, excessive sedation, and worsening confusion. This trial seeks to determine whether T2:C100 can more effectively reduce agitation than a placebo, potentially minimizing reliance on these medications while enhancing patient comfort and quality of care.

“This study is important because there are no FDA-approved medications to manage agitation at the end of life in dementia,” said Raya Kheirbek, MD, Principal Investigator and Division Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at UMSOM and UMMC “More than half of people with dementia will receive hospice care, and 70% of them are given psychotropic medications to manage agitation — often with limited benefit and problematic side effects.”

Researchers seek to recruit a total of 120 participants who will be randomly assigned to take either T2:C100 or a placebo twice a day for 12 weeks. In order to ensure objective results, the study is double-blind: neither participants nor clinicians will know which treatment is being administered.  After 12 weeks, all participants will be given the option to continue participation for an additional 12 weeks on T2:C100.

UMSOM is one of 13 national trial sites involved in this study, which is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.  The trial will be conducted in the General Clinical Research Center at UMSOM.

“We’re testing a potential treatment for a condition that’s not only common but incredibly distressing,” said Dr. Jacobo Mintzer, Principal Investigator, professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and staff physician at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System. “Our hope is that clinicians and caregivers will consider enrolling eligible patients. Success in this trial could open the door to larger studies and wider treatment availability.”

The clinical trial is part of the NIH-sponsored Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) and titled the Life’s End Benefits of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol (LiBBY) Study.

Enrollment Contact Information

Families interested in participating or learning more about the study can call or email:

The University of Maryland School of Medicine
Gerontology, Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine Division
(410)328-7849
LiBBY@som.umaryland.edu

Or visit www.LIBBYStudy.org to view more study locations.

The Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC) is led by Paul Aisen, MD, Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at the University of Southern California (USC), Ron Petersen, MD, of Mayo Clinic, and Reisa Sperling, MD of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard. Jacobo Mintzer, MD, MBA, of the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston and Brigid Reynolds of Georgetown University were awarded this grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Aging. The investigators report no conflicts of interest.

Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials Consortium (ACTC) is funded by a Cooperative Agreement from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institutes of Health. Cooperative Agreement number U24AG057437.

Life’s End Benefits of Cannabidiol and Tetrahydrocannabinol (LiBBY)

Principal Investigators: Jacobo Mintzer, MD, MBA, and Brigid Reynolds, MSN, ANP-BC

NIA/NIH Grant #: R01 AG068324-01

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.006 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery.   Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive, with high recurrence rates and poor prognosis. Paclitaxel (PTX) remains a key chemotherapeutic agent for TNBC, but its efficacy diminishes due to the emergence of drug resistance, largely driven by cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation and tumor immunosuppressive ...

SRSF7 promotes pulmonary fibrosis through regulating PKM alternative splicing in lung fibroblasts

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.017 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how SRSF7 promotes pulmonary fibrosis through regulating PKM alternative splicing in lung fibroblasts.   Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic interstitial lung disease, is characterized by aberrant wound healing, excessive scarring and the formation of myofibroblastic foci. Although the role of alternative splicing (AS) in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis has garnered increasing attention, ...

Psychological stress-activated NR3C1/NUPR1 axis promotes ovarian tumor metastasis

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.001 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how a psychological stress-activated NR3C1/NUPR1 axis promotes ovarian tumor metastasis.   Ovarian tumor (OT) is the most lethal form of gynecologic malignancy, with minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past several decades. Metastasis is the leading cause of ovarian cancer-related deaths, yet the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood.   Psychological stress is known to activate ...

An anti-complement homogeneous polysaccharide from Houttuynia cordata ameliorates acute pneumonia with H1N1 and MRSA coinfection through rectifying Treg/Th17 imbalance in the gut–lung axis and NLRP3 i

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.008 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how an anti-complement homogeneous polysaccharide from Houttuynia cordata ameliorates acute pneumonia with H1N1 and MRSA coinfection through rectifying Treg/Th17 imbalance in the gut–lung axis and NLRP3 inflammasome activation.   The coinfection of respiratory viruses and bacteria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, despite the development of vaccines and powerful antibiotics. As a macromolecule that is difficult to absorb in the gastrointestinal tract, a homogeneous polysaccharide from Houttuynia cordata (HCPM) has been reported ...

ALKBH3-regulated m1A of ALDOA potentiates glycolysis and doxorubicin resistance of triple negative breast cancer cells

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.018 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how ALKBH3-regulated m1A of ALDOA potentiates glycolysis and doxorubicin resistance of triple negative breast cancer cells.   Chemotherapy is currently the mainstay of systemic management for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but chemoresistance significantly impacts patient outcomes.   This research indicates that Doxorubicin (Dox)-resistant TNBC cells exhibit increased glycolysis and ATP generation compared to their parental cells, with this metabolic shift contributing to chemoresistance. It was discovered ...

A photodynamic nanohybrid system reverses hypoxia and augment anti-primary and metastatic tumor efficacy of immunotherapy

2025-07-09
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2025.04.007 This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses how a photodynamic nanohybrid system reverses hypoxia and augments anti-primary and metastatic tumor efficacy of immunotherapy.   Photodynamic immunotherapy is a promising strategy for cancer treatment. However, the dysfunctional tumor vasculature results in tumor hypoxia and the low efficiency of drug delivery, which in turn restricts the anticancer effect of photodynamic immunotherapy.   The ...

Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B Volume 15, Issue 6 Publishes

2025-07-09
https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/acta-pharmaceutica-sinica-b/vol/15/issue/6 Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B (APSB) was founded with the goal of creating a global high-level forum centred around drug discovery and pharmaceutical research/application. APSB was included by Chemical Abstracts in 2011, accepted by PubMed Central in 2015, indexed by Science Citation Index in 2017 and has evolved to become one of the most important international journals in the field of pharmaceutical sciences. APSB is a monthly journal, in English, which publishes ...

From injury to agony: Scientists discover brain pathway that turns pain into suffering

2025-07-09
LA JOLLA (July 9, 2025)—Pain isn’t just a physical sensation—it also carries emotional weight. That distress, anguish, and anxiety can turn a fleeting injury into long-term suffering. Researchers at the Salk Institute have now identified a brain circuit that gives physical pain its emotional tone, revealing a new potential target for treating chronic and affective pain conditions such as fibromyalgia, migraine, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Published on July 9, 2025, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study identifies a group of neurons in a central brain area called the thalamus ...

Molecular simulations show graphite ‘hijacks’ diamond formation through unexpected crystallization pathways

2025-07-09
The graphite found in your favorite pencil could have instead been the diamond your mother always wears. What made the difference? Researchers are finding out. How molten carbon crystallizes into either graphite or diamond is relevant to planetary science, materials manufacturing and nuclear fusion research. However, this moment of crystallization is difficult to study experimentally because it happens very rapidly and under extreme conditions. In a new study published July 9 in Nature Communications, researchers from the University of California, Davis and George Washington ...

Scientific breakthrough uses cold atoms to unlock cosmic mysteries 

2025-07-09
Scientists have used ultracold atoms to successfully demonstrate a groundbreaking method of particle acceleration that could unlock new understanding of how cosmic rays behave, a new study reveals.  After more than 70 years from its formulation, researchers have observed the Fermi acceleration mechanism in a laboratory by colliding ultracold atoms against engineered movable potential barriers – delivering a significant milestone in high-energy astrophysics and beyond.  Fermi acceleration is the mechanism responsible for the generation of cosmic rays, as postulated by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1949.   ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New breakthrough method to protect quantum spins from noise

Chemicals from turmeric and rhubarb could help fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria lurking in wastewater

Instant cancer diagnosis with light and AI!

New electroenzymatic strategy enables non-natural oxidation reactions

Tunable laser light

Scientists uncover magnetic-field control of ultrafast spin dynamics in 2D ferromagnets

New AI-powered model accurately predicts lung motion with minimal radiation

AI language models show promise in predicting liver cancer treatment outcomes

Tracking insect and bug health in a heartbeat from a digital camera

'Talking fish' not heard by conservation policies, SFU study warns

Thirty years of research shows increased resistance in fungi

Junk food ‘avoids advertising regulation’ with top level UK sports sponsorship

Banking on AI while committed to net zero is ‘magical thinking’, claims report on energy costs of big tech

Ancient river systems reveal Mars was wetter than we thought

Online toolkit to help parents of autistic children improve dental health

The psychological and neurological parallels between sports fandom and religious devotion

Agricultural liming in the US is a large CO2 sink, say researchers

Seaside more likely to make us nostalgic than green places, study finds

Psilocybin delays aging, extends lifespan, Emory study suggests

Buck Institute awarded DARPA contract to pioneer next-gen AI modeling platform

Orange is the new aphrodisiac—for guppies

Murals boost Cincinnati’s vitality, community development

Ad blockers may be showing users more problematic ads, NYU Tandon study finds

Verbal response time reveals hidden sleepiness in older adults

University of Maryland School of Medicine launches groundbreaking study on THC/CBD therapy for dementia-related agitation at end of life

Targeting stem-property and vasculogenic mimicry for sensitizing paclitaxel therapy of triple-negative breast cancer by biomimetic codelivery

SRSF7 promotes pulmonary fibrosis through regulating PKM alternative splicing in lung fibroblasts

Psychological stress-activated NR3C1/NUPR1 axis promotes ovarian tumor metastasis

An anti-complement homogeneous polysaccharide from Houttuynia cordata ameliorates acute pneumonia with H1N1 and MRSA coinfection through rectifying Treg/Th17 imbalance in the gut–lung axis and NLRP3 i

ALKBH3-regulated m1A of ALDOA potentiates glycolysis and doxorubicin resistance of triple negative breast cancer cells

[Press-News.org] University of Maryland School of Medicine launches groundbreaking study on THC/CBD therapy for dementia-related agitation at end of life
First-of-its-kind clinical trial investigates cannabis-based treatment to improve quality of care for hospice eligible patients with dementia