'Defeating Dementia'

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To mark the launch of a new report, 'Defeating Dementia', by Alzheimer's Research UK, Julian Huppert MP calls for greater investment in dementia research.

Dementia, like cancer around 30 years ago, has long been surrounded by stigma and misunderstanding. However, as more people are experiencing its devastating effects, social and political attitudes are finally beginning to change. This is long overdue. Prevalence is growing and there are currently no treatments to alter the course of the diseases that cause dementia, the most common being Alzheimer's.

Dementia now affects 820,000 people in the UK and costs the economy £23bn a year in care costs and lost productivity. This is more than cancer and heart disease combined. Yet, government and charitable investment in dementia research (£50m) is 12 times lower than on cancer research (£590m). Capacity, in terms of the number of researchers working in the field, is also low: for every six researchers working on cancer, only one is working on dementia.

The Ministerial Advisory Group on Dementia Research (MAGDR), led by the minister for care services, Paul Burstow MP, looked into improving the volume and impact of dementia research in the UK. The headline report and Route Map for Dementia Research which it published in June 2011 outline problem areas and list some initiatives to address these. This is a good start, but to bring funding levels and research capacity up to the levels required, we need a sustained, long-term strategy. One-off initiatives are a boost, but to achieve meaningful results, these have to be extended and continued. Short-term measures simply won't do for something as important and potentially catastrophic as this.

As both a research scientist and someone who has had personal experience of watching a family member suffer with dementia, I am proud to be hosting the launch of a new report today. 'Defeating Dementia' by Alzheimer's Research UK, the largest charitable funder of dementia research in the UK, follows on from MAGDR and looks into how we can build our research capacity in the dementia field and capitalise on our research strengths.

As this report shows, despite gross underinvestment, UK dementia research is highly influential and we are a global leader in the field. But we need focused efforts to bring in more scientists, as well as to retain expertise and ensure it is passed on to future generations. If we don't act now, we risk squandering the potential we clearly have to develop the treatments we so desperately need.

I look forward to hearing the different views from the panel, chaired by Radio 5 Live's Shelagh Fogarty, which includes Alzheimer's Research UK patron Terry Pratchett and Professor Alistair Burns, the National Clinical Director for Dementia at the Department of Health. It is also exciting that a substantial number of research scientists will be making their way to Westminster for what I expect will be a lively debate. Scientists and politicians talking to each other is something we need a great deal more of, particularly when we are dealing with a health challenge as big as this.