Dementia research receives £1.5 million boost

Research that could take scientists a step closer to discovering the cause of Alzheimer's and a study on how to improve care for people with dementia in hospitals are two of nine research projects that have been announced today (Friday, 3 September). The projects have been made possible following a £1.5 million grant jointly from Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa Foundation.

Top scientists in the UK and Australia are being funded as part of this new partnership to boost research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dementia.

Professor Clive Ballard, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Society says,

'One in three people over 65 will die with dementia. £1.5 million will enable us to move forward in our understanding of what causes this devastating condition. British scientists are at the forefront of dementia research despite the fact that in the UK dementia research receives eight times less funding than cancer. With the right investment dementia can be defeated.'

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, deputy chairman of the Bupa Foundation, says,

'Many thousands of people are living with dementia and with an ageing population, this figure is likely to grow. The Bupa Foundation believe it's essential to invest in research at every stage of the journey from prevention and diagnosis to discover how we can improve people's quality of life.'

One of the projects being funded is a study by Dr Armit Mudher into the role of the tau protein in Alzheimer's disease. Healthy nerve cells produce tau but in Alzheimer's, an abnormal form of the protein is produced which does not function correctly. In her most recent research, Dr Mudher - from the University of Southampton - tested the effect of Lithium on tau, a drug commonly used for bipolar disorder. She found that Lithium not only protects cells from the effects of tau, but also causes the abnormal tau to accumulate in rounded clumps which are then less likely to cause damage to the cell.  

Dr Mudher will use high powered microscopy and biochemical techniques to find out exactly what the clumps are made of, how they are formed, whether they protect nerve cells and whether any other means can be used to produce them.

Professor Clive Ballard continues,

'Dr Mudher's research will continue to increase our understanding about how tau is involved in Alzheimer's. It will be particularly interesting to see whether or not this drug could be a potential treatment.'

Dr Elizabeth Sampson at University College, London has been awarded a grant to carry out research into how being in hospital can affect people with dementia, specifically looking at how staff recognise pain. If left untreated, pain severely decreases people's quality of life and can exacerbate other symptoms of their dementia. Alzheimer's Society research conducted last year found that people with dementia occupy up to a quarter of hospital beds and are staying far longer in hospital than people without the condition. Dr Sampson's research will be important in understanding how hospital treatment can be improved for people with dementia and how better staff training can be developed.

This research fund between Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa Foundation charity coincides with a series of joint initiatives involving Alzheimer's Society and Bupa.  Alzheimer's Society is the nominated charity for the Bupa Great Runs series - which includes the world's largest half marathon, the Bupa Great North Run.  Alzheimer's Society and Bupa have also worked together to create the pioneering Dementia Champions programme for Bupa's specialist dementia care homes.

The remaining seven projects include:

• Dr Daqing Ma, Imperial College London- Research into why elderly people who undergo surgery are more likely to develop dementia
• Professor Carol Brayne, Cambridge University - A systematic review to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of dementia screening
• Professor Martin Rossor, University College London - Developing a library of nerve cells  - taken from people whose genes mean they are more likely to develop dementia  - that will be available to scientists around the world 
• Professor David Small, The Menzies Institute, Australia & University College London - Research investigating a group of cells called Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells which could protect other cells from being damaged and is therefore a potential treatment target for Alzheimer's disease
• Dr Richard Killick, King's College London - Research into P53, a key protein involved in the biological pathway of Alzheimer's
• Professor Paul Francis, King's College London - Research investigating the biochemistry of Lewy Body Dementia
• Final project to be confirmed

Find out more about the projects in our newly funded research section