2019 Annual Review
We
To make real progress towards overcoming the diseases that cause dementia, we must bring together the big thinkers in the field, challenge the way people perceive the condition and raise vital funds to power research breakthroughs. Thankfully, you’re helping us to do all three.
We fund...
...pioneering research to bring about life-changing treatments.
This year, the UK Dementia Institute (UK DRI) announced a new Health and Care Technology centre at Imperial College London.
The rapidly growing UK DRI team now includes more than 300 scientists working on 50 programmes focused on understanding the diseases that cause dementia, looking for ways to detect and tackle disease processes, and unravelling the factors that affect our risk.
The new Health and Care Technology centre will complement the work taking place at the six research centres across the country, using a range of approaches, from artificial intelligence to sleep monitoring, to empower people with dementia to live safely and independently in their own homes.
Our scientists made more than 200 important discoveries in 2018/19.
These included identifying key changes that take place in the brain during the later stages of Alzheimer’s disease and the creation of the most detailed ever map of a brain with Alzheimer’s disease.
All of these discoveries are helping to pave the way for new diagnostic tests, preventions and treatments for the diseases which cause dementia.
Collaborating with other organisations who share our vision is essential to finding life-changing treatments as quickly as possible.
In 2018 / 19 we joined forces with Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart to launch the Race Against Dementia Fellowships. This unique grant scheme provides outstanding early career scientists with funding of up to £500,000, as well as development opportunities including a mentorship scheme, to fast-track their progress towards becoming independent research scientists.
We’ve now invested £11m in our Research Network.
This year saw the 20-year anniversary of the Alzheimer’s Research UK Research Network - a forum linking more than 2,000 dementia scientists at 15 different centres across the UK.
Since its launch in 1998, we’ve invested £11m in the Network, enabling early career researchers to purchase vital equipment, test promising new ideas, and share their latest findings with scientists across the globe.
Launched in October 2015 with Alzheimer’s Research UK as a founding investor, the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) makes early stage investments to fast-track the search for new treatments for dementia.
In June 2018, the DDF closed its fundraising at US$350m, making it the world’s largest venture capital fund dedicated to a single disease area. The Fund has now attracted investment from philanthropists and organisations across the world and has built an initial investment portfolio of 16 drug discovery companies and projects, predominantly in the UK and US.
In March, more than 500 delegates came together in Harrogate for our twentieth annual Research Conference.
Following a rousing video greeting from our celebrated supporter Stephen Fry, Prof John O’Brien opened the conference with a presentation on his work creating a toolkit to support doctors when diagnosing dementia with Lewy bodies.
Over the course of the two-day event, delegates had the opportunity to hear from 27 expert speakers, attend 175 different poster presentations on advances being made across the field and meet with fellow researchers to share their latest findings.
Our Drug Discovery Alliance is making progress on 21 projects exploring potential new dementia treatments.
The Alliance bridges the gap between cutting-edge science taking place at universities and drug development expertise in pharmaceutical companies. Along with our Dementia Consortium, which welcomed new members Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Takeda during the year, these important initiatives will help ensure that promising findings from academic research are translated into potential treatments as quickly as possible.
In 2018, we announced the second clinical trial to be funded through our Global Clinical Trials Fund.
The phase II trial, taking place at King’s College London, will test whether a cannabis-based medicine called Sativex® could help reduce agitation in people affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
We bring together...
...the big thinkers in the field to accelerate progress.
Last year, we published ‘No time to lose: An action plan for dementia’, setting out the five actions government can take to improve the lives of people with dementia.
The cornerstone of the plan is a call for government to increase yearly investment in dementia research from 0.3% to 1% of the total annual cost of dementia by 2025. Our ‘Just 1%’ petition generated nearly 35,000 signatures, demonstrating widespread support for increased investment and triggering discussion on dementia research funding in the House of Commons.
We’re providing a positive way for more people with dementia and their families to play their part in research.
Since the service began, more than 42,000 amazing people have signed up to Join Dementia Research, an online and telephone system that matches people with studies in their area.
Sign up today online or call our Infoline team on 0300 111 5 111.
Mark Bennett is one of our many Campaigners whose powerful voices are persuading politicians up and down the country to get behind dementia research.
Mark’s mum is living with dementia and he has also seen his aunt and uncle affected by the condition. He wrote to his MP about his experience and asked him to help keep dementia research a government priority.
“When we all speak out we have the power to make a difference. MPs are listening if we raise our voices. Mine responded to say he will take the issue forward – and will push for better support in Parliament for dementia research.”
Since joining Alzheimer’s Research UK as our President in 2017, former Prime Minister David Cameron has continued the mission he instigated through the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge: to help make the UK the best place in the world to undertake research into dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.
This year, we were thrilled to launch the Pioneers’ Circle under his leadership to bring together key supporters and recognise their extraordinary contributions to dementia research.
We recognise that many of the challenges of delivering new treatments on the NHS are not unique to dementia.
This is why we co-chair the Charity Medicines Access Coalition with Cancer Research UK. The coalition is a group of 10 charities working together to find long-term solutions to ensure that new medicines are affordable to patients and the NHS. Through membership, we are now able to participate in the NICE methods review process, feeding into how new medicines are appraised.
A year on from the launch of our Dementia Access Taskforce, we’ve identified the possible barriers to implementing future treatments and mapped out a plan to develop solutions.
The taskforce, made up representatives from government, charities, the NHS, pharmaceutical companies and people affected by dementia, has three main areas of focus; earlier and accurate diagnosis, the cost of treatments and how to measure their value, and the impact on the wider health system.
We’re ensuring that the dementia research sector speaks with a strong, united voice.
Last year, we worked with the government’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Dementia on their inquiry into dementia and disability, sharing the views and experiences of more than 350 of our supporters as part of the call for evidence.
And as international collaboration is critical to accelerating progress, we joined forces with other medical research charities to ensure a united voice on the impact of Brexit on the sector.
The Dementia Consortium brings together university researchers, charities and pharmaceutical companies to provide academic researchers with the funding and industry expertise they need to capitalise on new drug targets for the treatment of diseases that cause dementia.
This year, the Consortium was further strengthened by the addition of Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Takeda.
Ongoing Dementia Consortium projects include two targeting the immune system in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and a third investigating the role of a protein called TDP-43 that builds up in the brains of people with frontotemporal dementia.
We challenge...
...the way people think about dementia.
As Charity of the Year for the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon alongside Alzheimer’s Society, we used the event as a platform to raise awareness that dementia is not an inevitable part of getting older.
A whole host of celebrities lent their support, including Scott Mitchell and Dame Barbara Windsor, helping make the Dementia Revolution one of our most talked about campaigns of all time.
On the eve of World Alzheimer’s Day 2018, we launched our boldest awareness campaign yet. Make Breakthroughs Possible stresses that dementia is caused by physical diseases and through research, diseases can be overcome.
Our press activity and media coverage helped this important message reach over 14m people - a quarter of UK adults.
In 2018, we launched Wave 1 of our Dementia Attitudes Monitor - asking more than 2,300 UK adults about their understanding of, and attitudes towards, dementia.
We will repeat the Monitor every two years, enabling us to track attitudes over time and shaping the decisions we make.
We explored new ways to engage the public with our work in 2018/19, delivering more than 40 public events during the year.
New initiatives included attending Latitude Festival and Bournemouth Air Festival and using craft activities to engage young people at Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Fronted by actor Simon Pegg, Dementia Uncovered urged people to watch and share a film that uses a 3D printer to visualise the destructive nature of Alzheimer’s.
The campaign film, which has been watched more than 2 million times, shows that the disease physically shrinks the brain at four times the rate of normal ageing.
In 2018/19, our Information Services team handled more than 4,000 enquiries to our Dementia Research Infoline – offering crucial information and reassurance at a time when people need it most, as well as opportunities to take part in research.
We put dementia research breakthroughs and policy developments into context for journalists and their readers, by providing expert comment and accurate, trustworthy information.
As a leading commentator on dementia and progress in dementia research, we were featured in the news over 5,588 times, with the potential to help 3.8 billion people better understand dementia and research.
Keep up to date with our news and behind-the-headlines analysis on our blog.
In 2018/19, our Information Services team provided more than 260,000 free health information booklets to households and communities across the UK.
We also expanded our programme of work to ensure high-quality information about dementia is accessible to, and appropriate for, those whose first language is not English, working with South Asian community groups to co-produce a film aimed at raising awareness of dementia in these communities.
You power...
...everything we do.
In 2018/19, income from voluntary donations reached a record £36.7m during the year – a clear signal that public support for dementia research is stronger than ever.
We're incredibly grateful to the 42,000 people make monthly donations to support our work. Their commitment allows us to shape our future research strategy with greater confidence.
Our army of volunteers continues to grow. They speak out about dementia at events, cheer on our runners, cyclists and swimmers at fundraisers all over the country, hold collections, review dementia information, help at parliamentary receptions, and so much more...
Find out how you could become a volunteer here.
220 people left us gifts in their Wills during the year, totalling more than £10.8m and funding one in three of our research projects.
And with a growing number of people choosing to make a donation in memory of a loved one, we held our second ever remembrance concert in December to celebrate loved ones look forward to a future without dementia.
192 daredevils across the country took to the skies between April 2018 and March 2019, raising vital funds to make breakthroughs possible.
Watch our video to get a taste for the experience and register your interest if you like what you see!
We are immensely grateful to our corporate partners including Iceland, Dyson, Wickes, Ricoh, The Perfume Shop and many more, who raised a total of £3.3m in 2018/19.
In addition, they are helping us to transform the way people think about dementia, sharing resources and using their networks to amplify our major awareness campaigns like Make Breakthroughs Possible amd Dementia Uncovered.
We truly appreciate the remarkable support we receive from philanthropists, charitable trusts and foundations. This group invested over £9m in our work during the year.
To recognise their extraordinary contributions and galvanise the support of key supporters, we were delighted to launch our Pioneers’ Circle in 2018 under the leadership of our President the Rt Hon David Cameron.
Every year, we’re amazed by the number of people who choose to fundraise for us. 2018/19 was no exception, with more than 11,000 people taking on a wide variety of fundraising activities - from running the London Marathon as part of the Dementia Revolution to hosting a Mighty Quiz.
And our network of Regional Fundraising Officers established 10 new Fundraising Groups, taking our total to 30. These voluntary groups are central to our community fundraising activity, with members working tirelessly to grow our profile in their local area in addition to fundraising for the charity.
Want to set up your own Fundraising Group? Get in touch with your regional fundraiser.
More than 6,000 people got involved with our established virtual ‘Running Down Dementia’ and ‘Cycling Down Dementia’ events, which give fundraisers the freedom to design their own challenge, choosing when and where they cover their chosen distance.
You can register your interest in any of our fundraising events, including the brand new 'Swimming Down Dementia' challenge now.
In 2018/9, our income rose to £38.5 million, of which income from donations was £36.7 million. Thanks to our amazing supporters, we were able to fund more groundbreaking dementia research than ever before.
