Amid ongoing negotiations about the UK’s association to Horizon Europe, the UK Government has launched a new Science and Technology Framework in a bid to cement the UK’s place as a science and technology superpower by 2030.
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To make breakthroughs in finding treatments and technologies for dementia, it is essential that the UK establishes a collaborative, joined-up research ecosystem. As part of this network, we’re proud to be a partner of Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) - revolutionising dementia studies and cohort research through expert technology networks in imaging, stem cell and informatics. For their recent event Translation2023, Prof Bart De Strooper (UK DRI Director) and Dr Giovanna Lalli (UK DRI Director of Scientific Affairs) outlined the importance of collaborations like this for dementia research, and the exciting joint activities already underway.
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Following this week’s deal on Northern Ireland, the UK DRI has signed a cross-sector statement urging politicians to confirm the UK’s full membership of Horizon Europe without delay.
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The UK DRI exists to improve the lives of those at risk of or living with dementia, and their carers. By involving people with lived experience of neurodegenerative diseases, we believe our research is strengthened, leading to better treatments and technologies for dementia. We recently saw the impact of this approach when running a series of workshops and activities to understand how best to develop an innovative new brain stimulation technology, which hopes to improve cognition in Alzheimer’s.
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On 21 February, the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) reported that £1.6bn of R&D funding, which had been ringfenced for Horizon Europe association or domestic alternatives, had been returned to the Treasury.
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With emerging treatments for Alzheimer's on the horizon, it is critical that people can be diagnosed early in the disease for intervention to be most effective. To aid this, scientists are looking to 'biomarkers’ - biological measures or ‘signposts’. In this new UK DRI Grand Challenge, Dr Marc Aurel Busche and a team of collaborators will carry out animal and human studies in parallel, to develop a new functional biomarker for Alzheimer's that measures subtle changes to the brain’s circuitry in the earliest stages of disease.
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We are pleased to become a signatory of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research in the UK, joining a large coalition of world-class research organisations that are committed to transparency about animal research.
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We caught up with our newest Group Leader, Dr Kat Bowles (UK DRI at Edinburgh) ahead of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, to find out more about her passion for her research, the stresses involved with setting up a new lab, and how the unwavering support of other women has lifted her up throughout her career.
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Two cheap and common drugs could be re-purposed as the first specific treatment for people who experience a type of stroke linked to nearly half of all dementias, according to the results of a trial led by Prof Joanna Wardlaw (UK DRI at Edinburgh), presented at the American Heart Association International Stroke Conference.
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The UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) was launched in 2017 with the single largest investment made in dementia research to date from founding funders the Medical Research Council, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society. Now, the Institute’s contribution and determination through its first five years has been recognised by a panel of international experts and peers, which awarded it a score of excellent in its first major review. As a result, the Medical Research Council has committed £131m, as part of a collective commitment with our other founding funders, of £150 million for the next five years.
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Research led by Dr Soyon Hong (UK DRI at UCL) has uncovered a new molecular mechanism underlying synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, could provide new targets for future drug discovery.
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We are pleased to announce the recipients of the second round of the UK DRI Collaborative Proteomics Studies Award Programme. This programme is designed to encourage UK DRI researchers to incorporate mass-spectrometry-based proteomics into their work and help them to establish new collaborations.
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A new study, led by Prof Tara Spires-Jones and Dr Declan King (UK DRI at Edinburgh), has identified molecular changes in the brain associated with maintaining healthy cognitive abilities in old age. The study, published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, could provide a new therapeutic approach to improving cognition in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
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We are delighted to announce the latest recipients of our cross-centre postdoctoral awards – a scheme designed to stimulate exciting new academic relationships and encourage collaboration between researchers across our seven centres. The five projects awarded in this round will investigate the genetics of different neurodegenerative diseases, the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s, and more.
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In September, it was announced that anti-amyloid treatment lecanemab had been successful in slowing cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s. The first of its kind to show clinical benefit, and potentially disease modifying capabilities, the development has been labelled a breakthrough, and even hailed as the ‘beginning of the end’ for life-changing therapies for the condition. Following release of Phase III results, UK DRI hosted a roundtable to dig into the data and what it means for the future of Alzheimer’s treatments and clinical translation.
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As the year draws to a close, we’ve taken a look back at some of the most significant moments for the UK DRI in 2022. From scientific discoveries to new partnerships, it has been another exciting year for the Institute.
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Researchers have uncovered a new role for resident brain immune cells in supporting the health of neurons. The study, led by Prof Veronique Miron (UK DRI at Edinburgh), and published in the journal Nature, could pave the way for new treatment opportunities in neurodegeneration.
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We are delighted to announce that Sophie Sanford (UK DRI at Cambridge) has today been awarded the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Award for Public Engagement of Neuroscience 2022, for her work pioneering Making it Brain: a free, online careers event for students. The award aims to recognise those that make an outstanding contribution to engaging the public in Neuroscience.
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The MND community deserves nothing less than a laser focus on research to drive progress towards greater understanding of this devastating disease. Funding for targeted MND research will boost our efforts to beat it, and this investment by the government is a positive step on that journey.
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Researchers have developed an algorithm that could be used to improve diagnosis of Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. The study, led by Prof Vincent Dion (UK DRI at Cardiff) is published in the journal NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics.
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