In this event, Prof Jon Schott, Prof Selina Wray and David Thomas delve into important questions such as 'will there ever be a cure for dementia?' and 'what does a cure look like?’. They discuss some of the challenges around finding a cure of dementia, and what the next steps will be.
Watch back to hear from the experts to find out how a cure will impact our lives.
Speakers
Selina Wray is Professor of Molecular Neuroscience in the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
Selina received her degree in Biochemistry and Biological Chemistry from the University of Nottingham in 2004, before undertaking PhD training in Dr Diane Hanger’s laboratory at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. Selina was awarded her PhD in 2008 and subsequently joined the laboratory of Professor John Hardy at UCL Institute of Neurology as an Alzheimer’s Research UK Junior Research Fellow. She established her own group in 2015 and was an Alzheimer’s Research UK Senior Research fellow from 2017-2023. The research within Selina's group is focussed on understanding the molecular mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC).
Selina was awarded the 2018 ARUK David Hague Early Career Investigator of the Year award and the 2014 Red Magazine Woman of the Year award in the Pioneer category.
Prof Jonathan Schott is the Chief Medical Officer of Alzheimer’s Research UK, providing clinical expertise to help drive forward our research priorities. He is Professor of Neurology at the Dementia Research Centre, UCL where he leads on a number of clinical research projects including the ARUK funded Insight46 study of brain health in the British 1946 Birth cohort. Jon also runs a busy cognitive disorders service at National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, with a particular emphasis on young onset and rare dementias.
David Thomas leads Alzheimer Research UK’s policy work on research funding and innovation as well as enabling access to new treatments. He is also chair of the Charity Medicines Access Coalition which works to shape national medicines access policy. Before joining Alzheimer’s Research UK he led Roche’s public affairs and policy work in the UK, including on dementia. David was also chair of the Dementia Industry Group and is currently a trustee of the Huntington’s Disease Association. David has worked in healthcare for most of his career and is passionate about the interplay between science and public policy.
For more information or questions about the event, please email the Public Engagement team engage@alzheimersresearchuk.org
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