The Cambridge Science Festival, which launches on Monday 13 March and runs for two weeks, investigates some of the latest research into this ever-increasing concern facing us all in one way or another.
Currently, there are no existing treatments able to affect the progression of diseases that cause dementia and, as such, there is a desperate need to find new ways to help the growing number of people living with the condition. In 2015, Alzheimer’s Research UK launched the Drug Discovery Alliance, a network of three Institutes that focus on bringing about new treatments for dementia as soon as possible.
Taking the latest findings from academic research and using innovative techniques, scientists at the Alzheimer’s Research UK Cambridge Drug Discovery Institute are hunting for new treatments that can effectively tackle diseases like Alzheimer's. During the event, The hunt for dementia treatments (23 March), the Institute’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr John Skidmore, will present an evening of short talks about dementia and the latest research. This will be followed by a tour of the Institute's labs and a chance to see how Alzheimer’s Research UK are using the latest in Virtual Reality Technology to improve the public understanding of dementia.
Dr John Skidmore, Chief Scientific Officer of the Alzheimer’s Research UK Cambridge Drug Discovery Institute, said: “We launched the Cambridge Drug Discovery Institute in 2015 with the goal of bringing about new dementia treatments sooner. Every year, over 200,000 people in the UK develop the condition but current treatment options are sadly limited. In order to offer new hope to the individuals and families impacted by dementia, we urgently need to develop new drugs that can tackle the biological processes underlying diseases like Alzheimer’s.
“At the Cambridge Institute, we are in an excellent position to capitalise on the latest academic research coming out of the University, and we have been pursuing a number of promising avenues to drive progress towards new dementia treatments. The Cambridge Science Festival is a great opportunity for us to throw open our doors to the public and explain to them how we are taking up this important challenge.”
In a further event, Professor Carol Brayne, who has been leading community-based studies of older people for 30 years, touches on what such studies are and how they contribute to our understanding of dementia in her presentation, What can we learn about dementia from research with communities? (20 March).
Carol Brayne is a Professor of Public Health Medicine and Director of the Cambridge Institute of Public Health in the University of Cambridge. She is a medically qualified epidemiologist and public health academic. Her main research has been longitudinal studies of older people following changes over time with a public health perspective and focus on the brain. She is lead principal investigator in the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies and other population based studies and has played a lead role in teaching and training in epidemiology and public health at Cambridge University. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a NIHR Senior Investigator.
Related events:
- A walk through dementia (18 & 19 March). The human brain is the most complex structure known to man. Using the latest technology and hands-on challenges we’ll explore this incredible organ with Alzheimer's Research UK – and see how it is affected by dementia. Put yourself in the shoes of someone with dementia with an immersive VR experience, and play the mobile game that’s helping scientists to better understand its complex symptoms.
- Finding the fountain of youth: why we age and what we can do about it(23 March). Why the ageing process occurs and how it leads to diseases that affect the elderly are questions that have occupied scientists and philosophers for centuries. Dr Rebecca Taylor explains how tiny worms reveal how the nervous system coordinates the ageing process and how it controls the health of cells as we get older.
- In conversation with the Babraham Institute( 23 March). Join us for an evening of informal discussions with researchers from the Babraham Institute and find out how they are trying to understand healthy ageing at the cell and molecular level. They are keen to step outside the laboratory and listen to your ideas, so why not drop by and have a drink and a chat.
- Worms are cleverer than you think! (26 March). An opportunity to find out how scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology use worms to help their understanding how neurons work, and what goes wrong in deafness, dementia and ageing.
To pre-book events, visit the Cambridge Science Festival website: www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk or call: 01223 766 766. Visit the Festival’s twitter site @camscience #csf2017, or Facebook page cambridgesciencefestival
Cambridge Science Festival brings science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine to an audience of all ages through demonstrations, talks, performances and debates. Run by the University of Cambridge, the Festival draws together independent organisations in addition to many University Departments, Centres and Museums.
This year’s Festival sponsors and partners are Cambridge University Press, AstraZeneca, MedImmune, Illumina, TTP Group, Science AAAS, Anglia Ruskin University, Microsoft Research, FameLab, Babraham Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Napp, Alzheimer’s Research UK, The Institute of Engineering and Technology, UTC Cambridge, Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge Junction, British Science Week, Cambridge Live, and BBC Cambridgeshire.
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