David Frost urges action on government dementia research pledges

Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Sir David Frost introduced a 20th Anniversary Celebration for Alzheimer’s Research UK yesterday evening that set out the charity’s vision for a journey towards a cure for dementia. A patron of Alzheimer’s Research UK, Sir David welcomed special guests to the Royal Society of Medicine and urged action following the Prime Minister’s recent announcement to move “further and faster” on dementia research.

Patron of Alzheimer’s Research UK, Sir David Frost, said:

“The only hope of averting our seemingly inevitable drift towards a dementia care crisis lies in research. We have to cut down dementia at its roots, by developing treatments that halt its progress, or by preventing it from ever taking hold in the first place. A dedicated charity like Alzheimer’s Research UK is fundamental to defeating dementia once and for all, but a lot still rests on government’s shoulders and plans must be put in action now.”

Setting out Alzheimer’s Research UK’s vision for dementia research, the charity’s Director of Research Dr Eric Karran said:

“We know that UK dementia research ranks with the best in the world.  We have to play to our strengths in this country. The new Biobank offers unparalleled opportunities to work with large groups of people to find out what factors in their lives might predispose them to developing dementia. We have to determine clear biological indicators very early on, before symptoms occur, in the same way that cholesterol can be a warning sign for heart disease.

“There are still unanswered questions about the early stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias: crucially, why do proteins begin to deposit in the brain and become toxic? Alzheimer’s Research UK’s efforts will be focused on supporting projects that answer the big questions and give us the best hope of effective treatment and prevention.”