Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced a £48 million partnership aimed at advancing dementia research, including £33 million from the government and contributions from pharmaceutical companies Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, and Gates Ventures. The initiative will develop a platform to connect health data and facilitate clinical trials, with an emphasis on recruiting more participants for studies. Burnham emphasized defeating dementia as a national priority, alongside plans for a National Care Service to support those affected by the disease.
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The Government will invest £33 million alongside funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Gates Ventures to help recruit more people for clinical studies.
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Government → invest → studies
It will establish a platform connecting health data, research and clinical trial capabilities to make it easier to find participants for trials.
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it → establish → trials
Speaking ahead of Friday’s Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester, Mr Burnham said: “Dementia is a devastatingly cruel disease, not only for those who live with it, but for the families who care for them.
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who → speak → them
“For too long, we have accepted dementia as something to be managed later in life, rather than a disease we can defeat.
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we → accept → life
“I don’t accept that.
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I → accept → that
“In fact, I have real hope that we can come together and do exactly that.
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we → have → that
“I want Britain to be the country that makes the breakthrough and delivers the cure for dementia the world has been waiting for.
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world → want → dementia
“That is why I am making dementia research a national priority – by backing the NHS, universities, researchers and industry to drive the breakthroughs we desperately need.
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we → make → breakthroughs
“This investment goes hand in hand with our plans for a National Care Service, helping ensure that people living with dementia get the care and support they need, and giving families peace of mind that their loved ones will be cared for.”
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ones → go → mind
Dementia will also be made one of the top priorities of the new Health Data Research Service, backed by up to £600 million from the Government and the Wellcome Trust.
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Dementia → make → Government
The service will bring together NHS and research data in one system to help scientists identify suitable patients.
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scientists → bring → patients
It is understood that one project will see GSK use health data to explore a possible association between the company’s shingles vaccine and a reduced risk of dementia.
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GSK → understand → dementia
Health and Social Care Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This cruel disease has done so much damage to families across our country, and for too long we have lacked the tools to fight back.
“This investment will help us turn the tide on dementia, helping us to speed up diagnosis, accelerate research and give more people the chance to take part in trials that could transform their futures.
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that → say → futures
“We are also determined to ensure that every person living with dementia gets the care they deserve, and that no family is left to fend for themselves when a loved one needs support.
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one → determine → support
“So, alongside this new investment, we will ensure that the treatment of dementia is one of the central priorities of our new National Care Service.”
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treatment → ensure → Service
Responding to the announcement, Dame Barbara’s widower Scott Mitchell said: “I was with Barbara when we went to Downing Street to meet then-prime minister Boris Johnson.
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we → respond → Johnson
“She said to him, ‘Now come on, darling, you’ve got to do something about helping people with this dementia business.
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you → say → business
“For me, this means Barbara won’t just be remembered for her bra flying off in Carry On Camping, she’s got a second legacy.
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she → mean → legacy
“I’m hugely excited with the progress being made and today’s announcement from the Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who also has personal experience like myself and so many others.”
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who → ’m → myself
Michelle Dyson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This is a significant moment for dementia research and we welcome the Prime Minister’s ambition for the UK to lead the world in discovering new treatments to beat dementia.
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UK → say → dementia
“By bringing together government, industry, researchers and the NHS, the Alliance is providing the kind of co-ordinated, ambitious approach that dementia research urgently needs, helping remove barriers to clinical trials and accelerate progress towards new treatments.
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research → bring → treatments
“We’re incredibly proud to work alongside the Alliance and share its determination to transform the future for everyone affected by dementia.
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We → ’re → dementia
“The Prime Minister is right to reject the idea that dementia is simply an inevitable part of ageing.
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dementia → reject → ageing
With sustained investment, earlier diagnosis and a determination to make research accessible to everyone, we have a real opportunity to create the change that’s so desperately needed.”
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that → make → change
The Aporia
