£ 30M WAR ON ALZHEIMER’S

Britain leads the fi ght to fi nd new drug treatments

BRITISH scientists are to spearhead the search for an Alzheimer’s cure in the world’s fi rst collaboration to fast- track dementia drugs.

Some of the sharpest minds in medical science will work in a powerful body launched today called the Drug Discovery Alliance.

The £ 30million fi ve- year project is a direct response to a desperate lack of effective treatments for those living with devastating brain diseases.

Until now research has focused on grappling with the complex biological puzzles that cause the illness. But a fresh approach will see specialists design and develop new medicines as part of the biggest co- ordinated dementia drug push in history.

A coalition of academics, doctors and drug experts will test new treatments at institutes based at Oxford and Cambridge universities and University College London. They aim to take understanding of the condition to a new level.

Experts hope the fi rst medications will be ready for human testing within fi ve years, signalling a “step

change” in how the disease is managed. Last night Giampietro Schiavo, professor of cellular neuroscience at University College, said: “Alzheimer’s and neurodegenerative diseases are one of the biggest challenges our society is facing. These are world centres of neuroscience excellence and will accelerate the first phase of drug discovery.

“It is my hope that by 2020 we will have between one and three early drugs per centre that will be ready to go into clinical trials.

“If so, we will have between three and nine shots to provide an answer to this emergency.”

Funding for dementia research remains minute compared with other diseases such as cancer. It has been 12 years since the last treatment for dementia was licensed in the UK.

There are 830,000 people in the UK with dementia, costing the economy £ 23billion a year. More than two million could be struck down by 2050, making it today’s top health concern.

Experts warn the magnitude of the dementia time bomb could send the NHS into meltdown and bankrupt the economy.

Dr Eric Karran, of Alzheimer’s Research UK, which is funding the alliance, said: “By tapping into the innovation, creativity, ideas and flexibility of scientists in these universities we can re- energise the search for new dementia treatments.

“The Drug Discovery Alliance is one of the first of its kind for dementia research in the world. It’s only by boosting the number of promising leads to follow up that we’ll have the best chance of developing pioneering medicines that can change the outlook for this devastating condition.”

With one dementia researcher for every six working on cancer, scientists say new expertise to tackle the problem is crucial.

Professor Simon Lovestone, of the Oxford Drug Discovery Institute, said: “Advances in science and technology are revolutionising our approach to healthcare, but dementia is playing catch- up with other areas of research and needs a step change.”

Family doctor Dr Ian Campbell said: “A new, effective drug treatment could transform the hopes and lives of millions.”