Following the recent general election pledge by The Conservative Party to double investment in dementia research to find treatments, Alzheimer’s Research UK have released six key priorities for spending over the next decade including continued investment in the UK DRI.
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Published recently in Neuron, researchers from the UK DRI at Cambridge, led by Prof Giovanna Mallucci, have discovered a harmful reactivity state in astrocytes that compromises these cells’ ability to support neurons. Targeting this new profile may lead to novel therapeutics against the devastating neurodegenerative diseases behind dementia.
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The UK DRI is delighted to announce that we will partnering with the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) for their Festival of Neuroscience in 2021.
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If 2018 was the year we came to life, 2019 was the year we grew at pace and strengthened in all directions. And that’s all thanks to the hard work and original thinking of each and every one of you. So what did you achieve this year?
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Women of the Wohl is a staff & student network promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in science, which was established in early 2018 at the UK DRI at King’s College London.
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A new article from the lab of Prof Tara Spires-Jones, UK DRI at Edinburgh, has shown that, in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyloid-beta and tau protein work cooperatively to cause a hyperactivity behavioural phenotype and downregulation of gene transcription relevant to synaptic function. Furthermore, tau reduction corrected these changes suggesting a possible route to therapeutic intervention.
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The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) for UK DRI HQ will help look critically and imaginatively at our science portfolio and also advise on our structure, size, growth and ambition.
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In addition to the research packages awarded to Group Leaders, the UK DRI provides several internal awards designed to promote collaboration, establish institute wide research platforms and encourage innovative pilot studies from early career researchers. Managing all this from UK DRI HQ is new recruit, Dr Aoife Kiely (pronounced ‘ee-fa kylee’). We caught up with Aoife to find out what funds are currently available and ones to look out for in the near future.
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With the UK’s prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) expected to almost double by 2065, the need for breakthroughs in disease-modifying treatments, as with other neurodegenerative disorders, is imperative. On 29 October UK DRI convened over 40 PD experts to London for an interactive workshop, co-hosted with Parkinson’s UK, in order to examine the latest developments and identify initiatives that could transform the field.
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The unique expertise at the UK DRI at Edinburgh take a holistic approach to tackling dementia, elucidating the interactions within and between the brain vasculature, neurons, macroglia and microglia which are thought to play a major part in the trajectory of neurodegenerative disorders. The centre’s newest Group Leader Dr Blanca Diaz-Castro, who joins the institute from UCLA, discusses her role in this strategy, the expertise she brings to the centre and her latest publication.
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Prof Vincent Dion, Group Leader at UK DRI at Cardiff, is among a select group of awardees for the first global talent Professorships from the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS). The new funding and support scheme is designed to attract and retain world-leading scientific talent from across the globe, and support research during the initial years of an individual’s first full professorship.
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Group Leader at UK DRI at UCL, Prof Sarah Tabrizi, has been awarded two separate honours for her contribution to Huntington’s disease research. Last month, Prof Tabrizi picked up the Yahr award at the World Congress of Neurology in Dubai, before collecting the Alexander Morison medal from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) on Tuesday (5 Nov).
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A new paper from the lab of Prof John Hardy, UK DRI at UCL, in collaboration with Prof Valentina Escott-Price, UK DRI at Cardiff, has identified four new risk genes for Alzheimer’s disease, tied to the microglial response to amyloid beta. We sat down with lead author, Dr Dervis Salih, to find out more about the study published in Brain Communications and how it contributes to our understanding of dementia.
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A new article from the lab of Prof Bart De Strooper in VIB Leuven has outlined a protocol to transplant human microglia into the mouse brain. Published today in Nature Neuroscience, the authors say this development will facilitate studies that more accurately reflect human conditions. We spoke to co-lead author Dr Renzo Mancuso to find out more about the significance and potential of this development.
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In exciting news for the dementia field, it has today been announced by Biogen and Eisai that there are plans to pursue US regulatory approval for aducanumab for the treatment of early Alzheimer’s disease. The news follows new analysis of a larger dataset from Phase III studies that has showed significant slowing of clinical decline.
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On Thursday 10 October Alzheimer’s Society fundraiser Hannah Mackay visited Dr Gabriel Balmus at UK DRI at Cambridge, to see the pioneering research taking place at the centre. The visit was part of Hannah’s ‘Dementia Journey’ challenge around the UK to raise money for fighting early onset dementia.
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US-based pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly have announced that they will close their research and development centre at Erl Wood in Surrey and move the associated neuroscience research to the US, with 80 potential redundancies.
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With over 300 researchers, students and support staff attending the UK DRI’s annual conference, Connectome 2019 was abuzz with curiosity, ideas and conversation. We take a look at the highlights and photos from the two days in Birmingham.
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Over 180 researchers, clinicians and students gathered last month (23 September) for the official opening of the UK DRI centre at the University of Cambridge. Led by eminent professor, Giovanna Mallucci, the centre’s focus will be on deciphering why neurons degenerate in dementia and translating that to therapeutics targeting the earliest stages of disease. Attendees at the launch enjoyed talks from the seven Group Leaders at the UK DRI at Cambridge, close collaborator Prof Clemens Kaminski and a guest keynote lecture from Prof Bradley Hyman.
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Latest fundraising figures reveal that the Dementia Revolution has now raised a record-breaking £4 million for the UK DRI, making it the most successful Charity of the Year partnership in the 39-year history of the London Marathon.
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