Alzheimer’s Disease – restoring memory loss and prolonging life
The ARC provides a collaborative environment which will enable researchers to work side-by-side to address major healthcare challenges such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and it affects an estimated 850,000 people in the UK alone.
There are no treatments that can slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and patients are currently treated with drugs which temporarily mask the symptoms of the disease. Often these treatments are associated with side-effects which can limit patient compliance.
In 2016 Professor Andrew Tobin, Director of the Advanced Research Centre, his research team and international collaborators identified a drug target for not only improving symptoms of brain degeneration - but also to extend the lifespan of terminally ill mice suffering from neurodegeneration.
In the ARC Professor Tobin is building on this work, collaborating with colleagues in Digital Chemistry team to find a novel molecule that can treat the disease without side effects. Looking to the longer-term the team will work with researchers in Quantum and Nanotechnology who will implement high-resolution brain imaging techniques to monitor the effectiveness of the drugs developed.