New £30 million translational partnership on treatments for dementia

LifeArc and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) have today launched a new partnership to accelerate development of new diagnostic tests, treatments, and devices from scientific research discoveries to benefit people with dementia, which around 900,000 people in the UK are living with.

At the heart of the five-year partnership is a £30 million ($36.2 million) commitment by medical research charity LifeArc to the UK DRI to support dementia research at six UK host universities where the Institute is based.

Through fundamental discovery science, UK DRI researchers are revealing the mechanisms underpinning neurodegenerative diseases that cause dementia. The funding will be used to translate these scientific discoveries into new diagnostic tests, treatments and devices. These conditions include Alzheimer’s disease, motor neurone disease, fronto-temporal dementia and Parkinson’s disease. While research has revealed much more about these diseases, there are still no effective ways to prevent them or stop them progressing.