Alzheimer’s Research UK has welcomed a plan to fund a Dementia Research Institute in the UK, announced by Prime Minister David Cameron. Up to £150m is to be made available for the project, which is to be led by the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The new Institute will aim to develop new diagnostic tests for dementia and find ways to stop the progression of diseases that cause the condition, such as Alzheimer’s. The initiative, which will cover the whole of the country with a main hub at a UK university, is expected to be in place by 2020.
Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said: “This important announcement represents a strong commitment to dementia research, and Alzheimer’s Research UK welcomes this plan. A new Dementia Research Institute will help provide much-needed infrastructure, and its UK-wide focus will be vital for bringing together research efforts across the country. It’s important that the centre should be about more than bricks and mortar; this initiative has the potential to encourage greater collaboration and provide real leadership and focus. It will be crucial for the new Institute to work in tandem with existing initiatives, such as Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Drug Discovery Alliance, if we are to make faster progress towards new treatments for dementia that are so desperately needed.”
