We are pleased to announce a new strategic industry partnership with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Ono), alongside the funding of multiple projects. Delivering innovative research that translates into improvements in diagnosis and treatment of dementia is central to the mission of the UK DRI, and industry partnerships have a crucial role to play.
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A new study led by Dr Sam Barnes and Dr Carola Radulescu (UK DRI at Imperial) uncovers insight into the mechanisms underlying age-linked cognitive decline. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, could unlock new potential therapeutic targets.
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It’s been another fantastic year for the UK DRI, with exciting partnerships, new faces joining the Institute and plenty of important scientific discoveries. Read on to explore some of our highlights from 2023.
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A recent multidisciplinary commentary authored by a diverse cross-institute team, led by the UK DRI's Vascular Theme in collaboration with the Dementias Platform UK Experimental Medicine Incubator, brings to light the increasingly recognized role of vascular contributions to dementia.
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An analysis co-authored by Prof Sarah Tabrizi (UK DRI at UCL) and Prof Edward Wild (Huntington’s Disease Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) proposes using the disease-modifying drug tominerson to treat early-stage Huntington’s disease, following the early stopping of the GENERATION-HD1 phase 3 trial.
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When members of the public are actively engaged in research - whether through outreach events, participating in studies, or interacting with scientists - they get a first-hand look at the real-world human impact of scientific discoveries, and the life changing potential of research.
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Congratulations to Dr Cynthia Sandor (UK DRI at Cardiff) who has today been awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI). Dr Sandor joins a cohort of 75 promising future leaders in research and innovation selected for fellowships in round seven of the billion-pound scheme.
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On Wednesday 29 November, we were delighted to welcome the Minister for Health and Secondary Care, Andrew Stephenson CBE MP, to visit the UK DRI Centre for Care Research and Technology, based at Imperial College London (White City Campus). The visit was hosted by Prof Siddharthan Chandran (UK DRI Director), Prof David Sharp (UK DRI Centre Director, Care Research & Technology), Prof Paul Freemont (UK DRI Group Leader, CR&T) and Prof Deborah Ashby (Interim Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London).
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This month, we invited industry partners and stakeholders to an exciting Translation Showcase event at the Science Gallery in London. It was a fantastic opportunity to hear directly from our Group Leaders about how they are translating their fundamental, discovery research into treatments and technologies for people affected by neurodegenerative diseases.
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Prof Paul Matthews will be stepping down as Centre Director of the UK DRI at Imperial on 7 April 2024. As founding Director of the UK DRI at Imperial, Prof Matthews led a multidisciplinary team of 120+ researchers, focused on unravelling the mechanisms underpinning dementia and developing innovative treatments to correct these detrimental changes in the brain.
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After six years as Chief Operating Officer of the UK DRI, Dr Adrian Ivinson is stepping down. Dr Ivinson has led the operations of the institute since it was established in 2017, overseeing day-to-day operations including compliance, communications, estates, research platforms, finances, tech transfer, partnerships and the central team.
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In today’s Autumn Statement, the Government announced a new Clinical Trials Delivery Accelerator (CTDA) focused on dementia. UK DRI Director Prof Siddharthan Chandran responds to the news.
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LGBTQ+ STEM Day takes place on 18 November: a day dedicated to celebrating the achievements of LGBTQ+ people working in science, technology, engineering and maths, as well as acknowledging the barriers they face, and the importance of improving visibility and representation. Ahead of this year’s LGBTQ+ STEM Day, we spoke to Aeverie Heuchan (UK DRI at Cardiff) and Tua Piehl (UK DRI HQ) who have been instrumental in establishing the UK DRI’s Pride Network.
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We are delighted to announce a new partnership with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), to establish the UK’s first research Centre dedicated to finding new treatments to prevent, halt and ultimately find cures for vascular dementia.
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We are proud to announce that seven UK DRI researchers have featured in this year’s Highly Cited Researcher 2023 list from Clarivate. The annual ranking identifies researchers who have demonstrated significant influence in their chosen field or fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade.
We are delighted that the first projects to be funded through LifeArc’s £30 million strategic partnership with the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) have been announced today. A total of £14.5 million has been allocated to support seven innovative projects seeking to develop new tests, treatments and medical devices for the more than one million people in the UK living with neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, motor neuron disease, fronto-temporal dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
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A groundbreaking study spearheaded by Prof Gabriel Balmus at the UK DRI at Cambridge, in collaboration with Prof David K. Simon from Harvard Medical School and biotech innovator Mission Therapeutics, has provided new insights into Parkinson’s disease and the potential to develop targeted treatments. The study's findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.
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We are delighted to announce four new Emerging Leaders at the Institute: Dr Sophie Morse and Dr Johanna Jackson (both UK DRI at Imperial); Dr Emma Clayton (UK DRI at King’s) and Dr Phil Weston (UK DRI at UCL).
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We are delighted to announce a new strategic industry partnership with pharmaceutical company SPARC, alongside the funding of a new project. Developing effective therapeutics, diagnostics and technologies for people affected by dementia is a clearly defined vision of the UK DRI.
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Having established a foundation of outstanding discovery science in its first five years, the UK DRI is set to capitalise on new insights into the causes and drivers of neurodegenerative disease with a programme of funding awards targeted at the translation of knowledge into urgently-needed treatments, technologies and diagnostics for dementia.
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