Dementia Frontiers Fund Backs 12 International Teams to Tackle the Toughest Challenges in Dementia

Twelve international research teams are competing for £1.5 million in finance from the Dementia Frontiers Fund after being awarded seed funding to accelerate their boldest ideas.

Launched by Gates Ventures and Alzheimer’s Research UK, the Dementia Frontiers Fund will push the boundaries of dementia research. It unites research teams from different disciplines and countries to take on the field’s toughest unanswered questions. This collaborative approach creates space for ambitious science that could transform how we understand, diagnose and treat dementia.

The response to the initial challenge, launched last October, has been extraordinary:  132 teams from 29 countries across the globe submitted their ambitious ideas. From that stand-out response, these 12 teams have now been selected to pitch to leading experts in the field this summer.

Dr Niranjan Bose, Managing Director for Health and Life Sciences at Gates Ventures, said: “The strength of response we’ve seen so far shows just how much momentum there is in the global research community, and why it is so important to create space for bold ideas that could genuinely move the field forward.”

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, Executive Director of Research and Partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “What is exciting about the teams selected is the breadth of expertise they bring together in their ambition to tackle some of the toughest questions in dementia research. They have real potential to push the field forward in important new directions.”

Question 1: Can we better predict and stage disease progression in dementia?

Question 2: Why are some high-risk populations resilient to dementia?

Question 3: What are the relative contributions of different brain pathologies to the development of dementia?

Over the next three months, the 12 teams will work to turn these bold ideas into high-impact proposals, as well as deepen their international collaborations, and sharpen plans for the next phase.

Later this summer, the teams will pitch to the Fund’s expert panel for the chance to progress within the Dementia Frontiers Fund.