Theme lead: Clare Mackay
► About the theme
The ambition to “identify a cure or a disease-modifying therapy for dementia by 2025” (G8 health ministers, December 2013) can be realised if we significantly increase research efforts in translational neuroscience. Over the last five years we have transformed the local and national landscape for dementia research. Our BRC theme is committed to identifying individuals in the pre-clinical stages of disease, developing novel interventions, and improving access to trials.
► What are our aims?
- To preserve cognitive health in later life
- To identify and test interventions that will delay the onset of dementia and slow progression of age-related cognitive decline
- Refine and streamline our experimental medicine strategy for cognitive health in ageing
► How are we achieving this?
- Developing a Brain Health Assessment service for memory clinic patients. The first pilot study will take place in November 2019.
- Optimising links with basic science to help identify new targets for drug development by partnering with the ARUK Oxford Drug Development Institute
- Refining and applying novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of dementia
- Improving patient access to trials, and refining ‘trial ready cohorts’ with partners in the MRC Dementias Platform UK
- Developing and adapting secure IT systems for information exchange between the trust and university based on the Case Record Interactive Search (CRIS) system, and to promote open science
- Developing and delivering training programmes for clinicians to enable closer partnership between the clinic and research
- Delivering early phase trials, including through the IMI EPAD.
- Contributing to the NIHR translational Collaboration for Dementia which was set up to drive the NIHR agenda to translate discoveries from basic science into the clinic and through to real benefits for patients.
► The Brain Health Centre
Find a list of recent publications from the theme here.

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