Honouring Carol Jennings and her legacy through groundbreaking dementia research

Carol Jennings’ connection to Alzheimer’s disease began in 1983 when her father was diagnosed. Within a few years, four of his siblings had also received a dementia diagnosis, sparking Carol’s determination to understand the condition. 

Her involvement in Professor Sir John Hardy’s landmark study, which was jointly funded by Alzheimer’s Society and the Medical Research Council, was pivotal in identifying the role of amyloid protein in Alzheimer’s disease and developing the 'amyloid hypothesis'.

Together with her husband Stuart, Carol became a passionate global advocate for dementia research, raising awareness and championing progress. In recognition of their remarkable contributions, Alzheimer’s Society named them vice-presidents. Sadly, Carol was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease herself and passed away earlier in 2024. 

To honour her legacy, Alzheimer’s Society and the Jennings family established the Carol Jennings Fellowship, to recognise innovative dementia research in Carol’s honour and to continue her legacy.

We are delighted to announce our 2025/26 Fellow, Dr Ian Harrison from University College London (UCL), who was inspired to get into dementia research by his grandparents who both lived with dementia.0

Dr Ian Harrison, 'When I was a teenager, two of my grandparents were diagnosed with dementia. My paternal grandfather had Alzheimer’s disease, and my maternal grandmother had Lewy body dementia. I remember my parents telling me that there were no medicines that would make them better, and that they were just going to get more poorly with time. This seemed so baffling to me at the time, as so many medical conditions are treatable, but why not dementia?

I went on to study for masters degrees and a PhD in neurodegenerative disease research; my aim being to make a difference to those living with these diseases and their loved ones. This has been the core aim of my research group at University College London and something I hope we are achieving.'

His research focuses on the glymphatic system, the brain’s natural waste disposal process. His project will explore how boosting this process could remove harmful proteins and protect brain cells in Alzheimer’s disease.  

Meet the current Carol Jennings Fellowship awardees 

Dr Ian Harrison is studying how to remove harmful proteins by using the brains natural cleaning systems. 

Dr Ian Harrison, from University College London is our third Alzheimer’s Society Carol Jennings Fellow. His previous research looked at whether a natural water channel in the brain, called aquaporin-4, could be safely targeted to help the brain clear waste. He found that boosting this channels activity, he could reduce the build-up of harmful tau protein – a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and improve memory in mice.

His Alzheimer’s Society funded project will look more closely at how this works and gather the evidence needed to see whether aquaporin-4–targeting drugs could one day help people living with dementia. He will also test the most promising compound in a new Alzheimer’s disease model that develops both amyloid and tau – to see if it works for both proteins. If successful, it could pave the way for future treatments.  

Dr Ian Harrison - 

We have seen huge advances in dementia treatment in recent years, and that is all down to early investment in bold and innovative research ideas. 

'This research has that same potential, to make its way through to clinical trial in order to make a substantial change in the way dementia is treated and managed.

Alzheimer’s Society research funding is absolutely vital to my work and the wider fight against dementia. Their investment empowers scientists like me to pursue bold, innovative projects that may not yet have mainstream funding support but hold real promise in dementia science.'

Dr Chris Hardy is studying the relationship between hearing loss and dementia

Dr Chris Hardy, from UCL is our second Alzheimer’s Society Carol Jennings Fellow. He is who studying the relationship between hearing loss and the brain changes that happen in dementia. He’s also developing culturally and language inclusive tests of ‘brain hearing’ to help in early detection, diagnosis, and tracking of dementia.

Dr Chris Hardy -

'One promising way of identifying dementia early, cheaply, quickly, and easily is by using tests of ‘brain hearing’.

'Hearing loss is a major dementia risk factor, we hear with our brains as well as our ears, and brain regions that perform difficult hearing tasks are affected very early in Alzheimer’s disease.

The Alzheimer’s Society funding is crucial for my research – it would simply not be possible without that support.

Dr Johanna Jackson is researching understanding brain cell connections in Alzheimer’s disease

Dr Johanna Jackson, from Imperial College London is our first Alzheimer’s Society Carol Jennings Fellow. She’s focusing her research on synapses, the connections between brain cells and how they are affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

With support from Alzheimer’s Society, Dr Jackson is identifying the parts of these connections, like specific proteins and Ribonucleic Acid, known as RNA, that are most vulnerable as the disease develops. She is also investigating whether existing medicines, originally designed for other conditions, could be used to protect or repair these connections, potentially opening up new treatment options.

Image: UK Dementia Research Institute

Dr Johanna Jackson -

The Alzheimer’s Society funding will be instrumental in my research for a number of reasons.

The Alzheimer’s Society recognises diverse career paths and, as I have spent time in industry, I have not followed the traditional academic path - the Society recognised the diverse range of skills I had learnt.

The Alzheimer’s Society has a group of Research Network volunteers who I will engage to help the project achieve the balance of investigation into basic disease mechanisms and the evaluation of new and repurposed therapeutics.'

More about the Carol Jennings Fellowship

The Carol Jennings Fellowship represents a vital step forward in dementia research, honouring Carol’s legacy as a passionate advocate for progress in the field. 

We are so proud to be able to honour Carol and her legacy in this way and know the both Dr Johanna Jackson and Dr Chris Hardy will continue her legacy through their passion for their work in dementia research.