Your support is funding pioneering dementia research that will bring about new life-changing dementia treatments. Read on to find out about the research you are helping to fund.

At the moment, dementia is incurable and available treatments are limited. But our cutting-edge research is on the brink of life-changing breakthroughs.

We have invested over £150 million into over 1,000 research projects since 1998. This is only possible because of the generosity of people like you, and the research you fund.

For every £1 donated in 2022...

73p powered our life-changing research and helped people to understand and take action on dementia.

27p helped to raise the next £1 and fund essential running costs.

Your support makes a difference

Our researchers are making incredible progress.

They’ve worked with scientists across 60 countries, making more than 2,200 discoveries.

Here are just some of the amazing advances from our scientists:

Creating new research tools that revolutionise our ability to study diseases in the lab. These are used by scientists across the globe!

Uncovering over 25 risk genes, providing vital clues for drug discovery. Our scientists’ discovery of the TREM2 risk gene led to new Alzheimer’s drugs in clinical trials today.

Building our understanding of brain health, helping us prevent more cases of dementia before they even start.

Transforming detection of the diseases that cause dementia, giving us the best chance of stopping these diseases before they take hold.

Developing dementia drugs, our Drug Discovery Alliance is working on over 20 potential new treatments for dementia right now.

How close are we to a cure?

Today, there are few treatments options for people with dementia. Existing treatments are limited in their scope and don’t work for all forms of dementia. But donations like yours are helping change this.

Current Alzheimer’s treatments in the UK only help to manage the symptoms, but thanks to research there is a new generation of treatments on the horizon that tackle the underlying disease.

What’s more, there are over a dozen dementia treatments being tested in the final stages of clinical trials right now.

How has COVID-19 impacted research?

Dementia research has not been immune to the impact of the pandemic. As a result of COVID-19, 95% of researchers told us they have had projects and trials delayed because of the virus, with one in five having had research projects cancelled completely.

At the same time, the pandemic is having a catastrophic impact on people with dementia. Figures show that a quarter of people who died with COVID-19 in England, Wales and Scotland also had dementia.

For the sake of people with dementia and their families, we must protect progress in research.

With your support, we will get dementia research back on track and help bring about new life-changing treatments.

Want to find out more?

Your support means so much to everyone living with dementia in the UK, and the 34 million people who know someone affected by it. You can read some of these personal stories on our blog.

With your support we can develop treatments that will keep people connected to their families, their worlds and themselves for longer. Research can make the heartbreak of dementia a thing of the past. Read more about the exciting projects we’re funding on our research project page.

"Your support means so much to everyone living with dementia in the UK, and the 34 million people who know someone affected by it."

- Hilary Evans, Chief Executive, Alzheimer's Research UK

Hilary Evans - ARUK