Government funding for dementia research set to double by 2015
26 March 2012
We welcome David Cameron's announcement today that government
investment in dementia research will double by 2015 in a bid to
make the UK a world leader in the field.
We're pleased to see the Government is committed to supporting more dementia research in the UK.
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Innovation
This follows on from previous similar announcements by the
French and US governments.
Dementia: a national crisis
Dementia affects around 800,000 people in the UK, costing over
£23billion a year - more than cancer and heart disease
combined.
1 in 3 people with Parkinson's has
some form of dementia. And research suggests that up to 80% of
people with Parkinson's may develop dementia during their
lifetime.
Today the Prime Minister outlined his plans to step up research
to find better treatments, and to strengthen health and social care
systems to improve the support for people with dementia and their
families.
Overall funding for dementia research in 2010 totalled
£26.6million in the UK. Under the new plans for 2015, it will be
£66million.
A priority for Parkinson's UK
Our
director of research and innovation, Dr Kieran Breen (pictured
right), comments:
"We recognise how devastating a diagnosis of dementia can be,
and we are currently investing £1million into Parkinson's dementia research
at Newcastle University (PDF, 374KB).
"We're pleased to see the Government is committed to supporting
more dementia research in the UK.
"However, Parkinson's is the second most common
neurodegenerative condition in the UK, affecting 127,000
people.
"And with the number of people with Parkinson's expected
to hit 162,000 by 2020 we would urge the Government to increase
its support for our search for a cure for Parkinson's."
Find out more
BBC News - Dementia: PM
promises push to tackle 'national crisis'
If you are affected by Parkinson's dementia or would like to
know more about it:
- email
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