Medication
Marcus Institute research is optimizing the benefits of pharmaceutical treatments for older patients while ensuring safety.
Improving Medication Safety for Older Adults
People 65 and older take prescribed medications more frequently than any other age group in the United States. Almost nine out of ten older adults take at least one medication, and more than half report that they take four or more prescription drugs.
Advances in effective therapies for preventing and curing disease have contributed significantly to longevity and wellness.
At the same time, it’s important to recognize that our bodies process medications differently as we age and medication doses are mostly established in studies done on younger, healthier adults, which means that older patients may be at risk when prescribed certain medications at doses designed for younger people.
That’s why Marcus Institute researchers are examining:
- The relationship between medications and adverse health outcomes such as falls, injuries, and treatment side effects among older people
- The efficacy of deprescribing medications for older people
- The ways that genetics can influence our response to medications
- How certain supplements can improve or prevent conditions common in aging
The Marcus Institute’s Findings on Medication Use in Elderly Patients
Using real-world databases including Medicare claims and the Minimum Data Set, Marcus Institute researchers have:
- Investigated the relationship of many classes of medications to adverse health outcomes
- Gained understanding through observational studies and clinical trials of the risks and benefits of deprescribing, which is the intentional reduction or stopping of medications that might be causing harm or might not be beneficial
Research currently in progress includes:
- An innovative pilot program to encourage deprescribing in nursing home residents
- Clinical trials of probiotic and prebiotic supplements to prevent bone loss
- A study of drugs that can enhance cerebral blood flow, including senolytic agents, to improve executive cognitive function and the central nervous system’s control of mobility
Medication is a critical component of medical treatment and Marcus Institute researchers are working to make sure these life-saving therapies do just that and don’t cause more harm than good.
Explore this section to learn more about the Marcus Institute’s research into the safe and effective use of medications in older adults.
Find current research projects
Showing 14 Results
Prospective Monitoring of Newly Approved Cardiovascular Drugs in Older Adults with Frailty
This research aims to establish a prospective monitoring program in routine healthcare databases for older adults with frailty and identify predictors of benefit from newly marketed drugs for cardiovascular disease.
Principal Investigator
Safe Cardiometabolic Drug Prescribing to Prevent Injury in Nursing Home Residents
This research aims to determine the net clinical benefit of cardiometabolic drugs in ADRD and other nursing home residents. Our findings will inform clinical treatment of cardiometabolic disease, prevent injurious falls, and save costs in the nursing home.
NIH R01AG061221
Principal Investigator
Senolytics and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults at Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease (STAMINA)
This research aims to prevent common age-related impairments in cognition and mobility that lead to the development of Alzheimer’s disease by interrupting one of the fundamental mechanisms of aging, namely the accumulation of senescent cells and their damaging products. We will determine the feasibility of administering Quercetin and Dasatinib to eliminate these cells from the body, and test whether their elimination can improve brain blood flow, cognition, and mobility in older adults at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Principal Investigators
System Biology Approach to Decode Molecular Mechanism of Glucose Metabolism in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
This research aims to elucidate novel molecular biomarkers associated with glucose metabolism that might serve to define high-risk individuals and to identify novel potential drug targets for AD/dementia.
Principal Investigator
Systemic Contribution of Age-Associated Epigenetic Mechanisms to Osteoarthritis
This research aims to identify potential new targets for Osteoarthritis therapy by identifying key age-associated biological mechanisms underlying Osteoarthritis pathogenesis. The objective of this project is to determine the role of epigenetic changes to genes in key aging pathways on Osteoarthritis.
Principal Investigator
Join a Research Study
STAMINA Study
The goal of the study is to determine whether the senolytic medications Dasatinib and Quercetin can reduce senescent cells, increase mobility (walking speed), and improve memory in older adults.
STAMINA STUDY FACULTY
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Director, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
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Assistant Scientist