£250m for new UK Dementia Research Institute.

Alzheimer’s Society has partnered with the Medical Research Council and Alzheimer’s Research UK to create the country’s first dedicated Dementia Research Institute.

Alzheimer’s Society has pledged £50 million towards the work of the UK Dementia Research Institute, in the single biggest financial commitment to dementia research in the history of the charity.

The institute will bring together scientists and experts from across the globe to transform the landscape of dementia research and firmly secure the UK’s reputation as a world leader in research and development against the condition.

Set to be fully up and running by 2020, the Institute will have a central UK hub with a network of regional centers and is expected to engage hundreds of scientists. This research will help to drive new approaches to diagnosis, treatment, care and ultimately prevention of the disease.

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The creation of an institute was first announced by the Prime Minister last year with £150 million funding from government. This has since grown with the additional investment of £50 million each from Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.

As well as increasing the amount of fundamental biomedical research taking place in the institute, the funding from Alzheimer’s Society will broaden the vision and strategy of the UK Dementia Research Institute to include research in care, supportive technology and public health.

The direct experience of people with dementia and their carers will help to inform the work of the institute, which Alzheimer’s Society is uniquely placed to ensure. By enabling people living with dementia to define what high-quality, evidence-based care and support means to them, we can reduce disability and distress, limit harmful practices and improve the inclusion of people with dementia in society.

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of Alzheimer’s Society, said, ‘The UK Dementia Research Institute heralds an exciting era for global dementia research, as it launches an unprecedented collaboration of world-leading dementia expertise and provides the largest single investment in dementia research to date.’

‘Alzheimer’s Society is working to create a better world for people living with dementia and their families, and this significant investment emphasises how important research is in achieving our ambitions. Today we offer people affected by dementia, and all of us, hope for a better future in much the same way that cancer research has transformed how we diagnose, treat and care for those living with cancer.’

Source: Alzheimer’s Society