Redditch’s Tammaryn Lashley made a Professor of dementia research

Redditch-born dementia researcher Tammaryn Lashley (nee. Johnson) has been awarded a Professorship at the University College London (UCL). Prof Lashley manages her research team at one of the country’s leading brain banks, collecting post-mortem brains donated by those who died with diseases that cause dementia.

Dementia affects 850,000 people in the UK, and around 5,000 in Worcestershire alone. The importance of dementia research has never been more evident, with statistics showing over a quarter of people who have died with COVID-19 also had dementia.

Tammaryn attended Church Hill Middle School and then Trinity High School formerly known as The Abbey High School.  She then moved to study biochemistry at Swansea University, before accepting a research technician position to gain laboratory experience.

Since then, throughout her career Dr Tammaryn Lashley has detailed the hallmarks of diseases that cause dementia, identifying proteins that could be used as potential markers for individual diseases and using post-mortem brain tissue to evaluate chemicals used in diagnostic brain scans.  In 2019 she was appointed the Director of Research at Queen Square Brain Bank and her promotion to Professor is further recognition of her commitment to the dementia research field.

Speaking about her new position, Prof Lashley said:
“Being promoted to this position is a huge privilege. It would not have been possible without many people in my life including my husband, the kids and mum. I also have many people to thank at UCL and beyond for believing in me.”

“I’m indebted to those who have donated their brains for dementia research. My work involves using the body’s most precious organ to better understand what starts to go wrong in diseases like Alzheimer’s. I hope that my research will identify new ways to tackle the disease and find a cure.

“Alzheimer’s Research UK has supported me throughout my career and are a major funder of my current work. I have also been lucky enough to be involved in their work in a number of ways outside of the lab: hosting lab tours for supporters, speaking at public events, appearing in the media and championing dementia research.”

Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“Our warm congratulations go to Prof Lashley for her contribution to dementia research throughout her career so far. We are delighted to be able to support a passionate dementia researcher like Prof Lashley as she works to gain a better understanding of the disease processes that cause dementia.

“There are 850,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK, and with this number set to grow to over a million people by 2025, we urgently need to see more research funding to help find new treatments for the condition. Dementia is the greatest medical challenge of our generation and it requires a concerted response to tackle it effectively.”