Alzheimer's Research UK launches $31 million global clinical trials fund

Alzheimer’s Research UK, the country’s leading dementia research charity, has launched a global clinical trials fund to fast-track research into new dementia treatments.

The fund is aiming to make £20 million ($31 million) available for early-stage trials over the next five years, and will support worldwide studies into new treatments. It is part of the charity’s £100 million Defeat Dementia fundraising campaign and has just opened for its first applications. Research teams can now apply from across the globe for funding to trial new experimental drugs as well as drugs already licensed for other indications that could be used in dementia. The fund can also support trials on non-drug interventions. The flexible funding scheme will support trials for treatments aimed at relieving symptoms, as well as those designed to halt diseases like Alzheimer’s in their tracks. The announcement came a year after global health leaders met in London for the G8 Dementia Summit.

Eric Karran, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “One of the most life-changing breakthroughs that dementia research will deliver is effective treatments for people living with the condition. Clinical trials are vital for putting new treatments in the hands of people with dementia, but with 99% of drug trials for Alzheimer’s failing in the past decade, they represent a difficult area for funders to invest in. We are committed to turning this tide with our Global Clinical Trials Fund, which will provide dedicated support to make sure that the best ideas, backed up by the strongest science, have the greatest chance to succeed.