果冻影院

Professor Fiona Ducotterd (ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute) and Professor Selina Wray (果冻影院 Queen Square Institute of Neurology) led the visit and gave Mr Cameron detailed insights into their group鈥檚 translational research programmes and how the future looks for dementia research.

Mr Cameron toured the industry-standard drug discovery capabilities in the ARUK Drug Discovery Institute labs, currently housed within the Cruciform Building, on 果冻影院鈥檚 Bloomsbury Campus.

The group also visited the new 果冻影院 Neuroscience facility at 256 Grays Inn Road,, near Kings Cross, where the labs will move next year. The purpose-built, state-of-the-art neuroscience centre is currently in construction and will open in 2024. It will be a comprehensive, coordinated neuroscience research hub, offering opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration across basic and clinical science and drug discovery.

Professor Wray, said: 鈥�It was a pleasure to welcome Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK President, Mr David Cameron, to 果冻影院 to discuss some of the exciting dementia research ARUK are funding at 果冻影院, and to show him the progress being made on the new neuroscience centre at Grays Inn Road. Through the Prime Minister鈥檚 dementia challenge and subsequently in his role with ARUK, David听Cameron has ensured dementia research is a national priority, so it was a privilege to share some of our excitement and optimism about the latest breakthroughs and ongoing research with him.鈥�

Professor Ducotterd, said: 鈥�The effort to find effective dementia treatments involves the precise integration of interdisciplinary teams. Our work with Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK in the Drug Discovery Institute at the core of 果冻影院 is doing just that and we can use learnings from basic science right through to the clinical setting to inform our drug discovery programs. It was a privilege to showcase our work and discuss our shared vision and mission with David Cameron in his role as President of ARUK and we will continue to combine disciplines and learnings to progress our science for our patients who are waiting.鈥�

David Cameron joined Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK as President in January 2017, and since then has helped the charity raise 拢20 million for research, as well as helping to open up new strategic research partnerships and collaborations.

While in office as Prime Minister, in 2012, Mr Cameron launched the Dementia Challenge 鈥� a programme of action to deliver sustained improvements in health and care, create dementia-friendly communities, and boost dementia research.

Following this, he hosted the first G8 dementia summit in 2013, bringing together ministers, researchers, pharmaceutical companies and charities to discuss what can be done to stimulate greater investment and innovation in dementia research, improve prevention and treatment, and improve quality of life for people living with the condition.

In 2015, he published the Prime Minister鈥檚 challenge on dementia 2020 to build on the government鈥檚 work to date and set clear and ambitious goals, including to deliver a disease modifying treatment for dementia by 2025. One of the major outcomes of that challenge was the creation of the UK Dementia Research Institute in 2016; headquarted at 果冻影院, it is the single biggest investment in dementia research in the UK, which now has over 850 researchers across the country working relentlessly towards new treatments.

Now, nearly seven years into his role as President of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, he continues to raise awareness of dementia and drive investment for research.

Rt Hon David Cameron, President of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, said: 鈥淒ementia is still one of the biggest challenges we face. It was inspiring to visit the ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute and see research funded by Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK in action. Seeing the work first-hand, I鈥檓 more encouraged than ever that we are making huge leaps forward in dementia research.

鈥淩ecent breakthroughs, such as donanemab and lecaneab, show that we can make progress in slowing the disease and what can be achieved when we invest properly in research and infrastructure.

鈥淭he new neuroscience centre at Grays Inn Road will play a pivotal role in meeting the challenge on dementia that I set out as Prime Minister, with space to bring expertise from multiple partners, including ARUK-funded teams and initiatives, together under one roof. We can build on the brilliant work that has happened so far, understand more about the broader causes and enable earlier detection of the disease.鈥�

Professor Alan Thompson, Dean, Faculty of Brain Sciences and ION-DRI Programme Sponsor, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 over ten years since 果冻影院 first approached David Cameron as Prime Minister to co-ordinate a national response to begin to tackle neurological diseases, like dementia, which are now the world鈥檚 leading cause of disability.

鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic to see what has already been achieved since then: We鈥檙e now home to the national headquarters of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), which is the single biggest investment the UK has ever made in dementia, and are just one year away from opening our new centre of excellence for neuroscience on Grays Inn Road.

鈥淚鈥檓 delighted that David Cameron, in his role now as President of our close partner Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, could come back to see how much has been accomplished and feel inspired about what the future holds.鈥�

The ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute is part of the Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance 鈥� the first of its kind 鈥� which has centres at Oxford and Cambridge and aims to bridge the gap between academic discoveries and industry to ensure scientific discoveries are translated into new treatments as swiftly as possible.

Pharma-trained scientists are provided with the resources and infrastructure to take innovations from world-leading academic centres to translate them into next-generation medicines for dementias, focusing on projects that have commercial viability for pharma-licensing that can see clinical development through to patients.

Links

• 果冻影院 Queen Square Institute of Neurology
• ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute
• 果冻影院 Brain Sciences
• 果冻影院 IoN-DRI Programme

Images

(Top to Bottom)

• Professor Selina Wray, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience at 果冻影院 Queen Square Institute of Neurology, David Cameron, President of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, Professor Fiona Ducotterd, Chief Scientific Officer at the ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute (DDI) and Hilary Evans, CEO of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK.
• Professor Selina Wray, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience at 果冻影院 Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Hilary Evans, CEO of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, David Cameron, President of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, Professor Fiona Ducotterd, Chief Scientific Officer at the ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute (DDI).
• Hilary Evans, CEO of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, David Cameron, President of Alzheimer鈥檚 Research UK, Professor Fiona Ducotterd, Chief Scientific Officer at the ARUK 果冻影院 Drug Discovery Institute (DDI) and Professor Selina Wray, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience at 果冻影院 Queen Square Institute of Neurology.

Media contact听

Poppy Danby听

E: p.danby [at] ucl.ac.uk