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New study discovers how neurons die in Alzheimer’s disease

A research team led by Prof Bart De Strooper (UK DRI at UCL and VIB-KU Leuven) and Dr Sriram Balusu (VIB-KU Leuven) has finally discovered how neurons die in Alzheimer’s disease. Subject of scientific discussion for the past decades, a breakthrough research paper published in Science illustrates how neurons initiate a programmed form of cell death, known as necroptosis, when they are exposed to amyloid plaques and tau tangles – the hallmark misfolded proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s.

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World Alzheimer’s Month: Where could the next Alzheimer’s treatment come from?

Alzheimer’s research is gaining ground. Recently, two new drugs - lecanemab and donanemab - have proven to significantly slow the spread of the disease in clinical trials. Both drugs work by removing amyloid, a toxic protein in the brain linked with Alzheimer’s. But targeting other factors alongside amyloid may lead to a more comprehensive and effective therapy programme. In this article, we will discuss some of these promising targets.

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Study reveals key difference between mice and humans in marker of inflammation

A new study by Prof Paul Matthews (UK DRI at Imperial) and colleagues reveals that a widely used marker of inflammation does not accurately reflect neurodegeneration in humans, as previously thought. The study is published in Nature Communications.

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Comment: UK joins Horizon Europe under a new bespoke deal

Today (7 September) the Government has confirmed that the UK will associate to Horizon Europe through a new bespoke agreement with the EU.

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World Alzheimer’s Month: Filling the dementia knowledge gap

Dementia research is at a turning point. Two new drugs have demonstrated for the first time that the progress of Alzheimer’s disease can be slowed. This is momentous news for the millions of people affected by dementia, but these drugs are just the start of the story. This World Alzheimer’s Month, we’re taking a closer look at some of the gaps that still exist in our understanding of dementia, and how researchers at the UK DRI are filling them.

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The united fight against Huntington’s: the importance of researcher-patient collaboration

In this feature piece, PhD student Emma Bunting (UK DRI at UCL) explores journalist Charles Sabine's experiences with Huntington's disease, his advocacy work, and the value of interaction between researchers and people with lived experience of neurodegenerative diseases.

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Microglia play a protective role in early Alzheimer’s disease

A new study led by Dr Soyon Hong (UK DRI at UCL) has revealed fresh insight into the protective role of microglia, the brain’s resident immune cells, in early Alzheimer’s disease. The research could provide future therapeutic targets for the condition.

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Comment: Strategic framework for the Major Conditions Strategy

The strategic framework for the Major Conditions Strategy rightly focuses on many of the things that matter most in the fight against dementia: improving prevention, facilitating early diagnosis, and enabling people living with the condition to live better, more independent lives. In the UK DRI’s submission to the Major Conditions Strategy consultation, we outlined some of the ways our researchers are working to improve diagnosis, care and prevention. Read our full submission.

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'Smart’ socks that track distress in people living with dementia could transform care

A new project led by Dr Shlomi Haar (UK DRI Care Research & Technology Centre) will test whether a sock which combines sensors with artificial intelligence could help carers detect agitation and prevent falls in people with dementia.

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Communicating your research with Three Minute Thesis winner Imogen Swift

PhD student Imogen Swift (UK DRI at UCL) recently won the Three Minute Thesis competition at University College London, where researchers must present their work to a non-specialist audience in three minutes or less. We spoke to Imogen about her winning presentation, and she shared her top tips for communicating scientific research.

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Three new Trustees to bring unique expertise to UK DRI Board

We are pleased to announce that three new Trustees will join our Board this year. Joining the nine existing Trustees, the new Board members bring a wealth of expertise that will prove invaluable to the Institute as it enters its next phase under new Director Prof Siddharthan Chandran. The three new Trustees are Emma Whitcombe (Charity Consultant), Rabia Khan (Serna Bio) and Roudie Shafie (OVID Health).

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Introducing Sarah Marzi, UK DRI at King’s: Applying epigenetics to tackle ALS

Epigenetics is the study of how biological mechanisms regulate gene expression within cells. This regulatory process can become maladaptive, making cells more vulnerable to protein aggregates that accumulate in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

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Messenger to guide: Exploring RNA and its interactions with Prof Jernej Ule, UK DRI at King’s

RNAs (ribonucleic acid) are fundamental macromolecules for our cells, with crucial roles in the translation of genetic information into complex proteins and in gene expression regulation. Prof Jernej Ule is a leading expert on RNA biology, and having joined the UK DRI at King’s as Centre Director last year, he aims to better understand the roles of RNA regulation in neurodegeneration. We caught up with Prof Ule to hear more about his new lab at King’s, a major project harnessing RNA for targeted therapeutic delivery and his experience of Centre leadership so far.

Introducing Andrea Serio, UK DRI at King’s: Engineering cells to help tackle neurodegeneration

To fully understand the complex processes and components that make up our nervous system and how they go wrong in conditions like motor neuron disease (MND), we need to be able to build model systems that closely reflect the processes that occur within the human body.

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Comment: Full results of donanemab Phase III trial presented at AAIC conference

Results from Eli Lilly’s phase 3 trial of new Alzheimer’s drug donanemab were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam today, and published simultaneously in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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Comment: ARUK report showing the benefit of dementia research to the UK economy

UK DRI Founding Funder, Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK), have today (11 July 2023) published a report showing how investment in dementia research can directly boost the country’s economy. For every £1 invested in dementia research, £2.59 is generated in economic benefits.

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NEURii: Project launched to harness data and artificial intelligence for the detection, monitoring and treatment of dementia

A major new public-private partnership, NEURii, was announced last month aiming to use high-quality individual data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) to deliver patient-focused digital health solutions for dementia.

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Modelling microglia, wearable devices and tau: fifth round of pilot awards announced

In the spring of this year, we were pleased to announce the eight awardees in the fifth round of the UK DRI Pilot Studies programme - an initiative designed to encourage UK DRI early career researchers to consider new and innovative avenues of dementia research and take their next step towards independence.

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All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia co-Chairs visit UK DRI Centre for Care Research & Technology

Co-Chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia, Debbie Abrahams MP and Baroness Browning, visited the UK DRI’s Centre for Care Research and Technology at Imperial College London yesterday, along with Vice-Chair Lord Weir of Ballyholme.

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Smart watches could detect Parkinson’s up to seven years before hallmark symptoms appear

Smart watches could identify Parkinson’s disease up to seven years before hallmark symptoms appear and a clinical diagnosis can be made, new UK DRI research reveals. The study is published in the journal Nature Medicine.