A report from Alzheimer’s Research UK has called for more funding to help attract more experts to help prevent the UK’s dementia knowledge base from being lost.
Dementia is estimated to affect over 800,000 people in the UK and cost the economy over £23 billion. However, the number of experts in the field are low compared to other areas such as cancer and heart disease. It is estimated that for every dementia expert there are 6 cancer experts.
Alzheimer’s Research UK suggest that in order to attract more scientists to the field, there needs to be an increase in funding. They are also calling for a national dementia research strategy that would encourage the ring fencing of funds for research.
Alzheimer’s Research UK also argue that funding into areas of research such as cancer and heart disease vastly outweighs funding into dementia, but they suggest that dementia poses a much bigger challenge to society and the economy.
Professor Julie Williams, a leading expert on dementia from Cardiff University, said that more needs to be done to encourage new scientists into the field, adding: “Investing in our highachieving UK scientists is the only answer to dementia. Our brains depend on theirs. It is clear from this report that we do not have enough scientists working in the dementia field to meet the colossal challenge it poses to society.”
The Defeating Dementia report has made 14 recommendations and is soon to be launched in the House of Commons.
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