Alzheimer's Research Trust
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Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) is a
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
research charity in the
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, founded in 1992 as the Alzheimer's Research Trust. Alzheimer’s Research UK funds scientific studies to find ways to treat, diagnose and prevent all forms of dementia, including
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
,
vascular dementia Vascular dementia is dementia caused by a series of strokes. Restricted blood flow due to strokes reduces oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain, causing cell injury and neurological deficits in the affected region. Subtypes of vascular dement ...
,
dementia with Lewy bodies Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a type of dementia characterized by changes in sleep, behavior change (individual), behavior, cognition, movement, and dysautonomia, regulation of automatic bodily functions. Unlike some other dementias, mem ...
and
frontotemporal dementia Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), also called frontotemporal degeneration disease or frontotemporal neurocognitive disorder, encompasses several types of dementia involving the progressive degeneration of the brain's frontal lobe, frontal and tempor ...
. As of 2024, Alzheimer's Research UK has funded 1,275 research projects across the UK and internationally, and has committed more than £237 million to dementia research. Alzheimer's Research UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities.


History

In 1998, the trust awarded its first major grant of £500,000 to a team led by distinguished scientist Dr Michel Goedert in Cambridge. In March 2008, author
Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist, and Satire, satirist, best known for the ''Discworld'' series of 41 comic fantasy novels published between 1983 and 2015, and for the Apocalyp ...
, who had the disease, donated one million US dollars to the trust. In February 2010, the Alzheimer's Research Trust released the Dementia 2010 report, revealing new evidence of the prevalence, economic cost and research funding for dementia and other major conditions. In February 2011, Alzheimer's Research Trust was renamed Alzheimer's Research UK. In 2014, the charity launched its Defeat Dementia campaign, which aimed to fast-track discoveries in dementia research and bring about potential new treatments sooner. This included the establishing of a Drug Discovery Alliance, a network of three dedicated Drug Discovery Institutes, all working to translate new findings from academic research into potential treatments as quickly as possible. In 2016, Alzheimer's Research UK became a founding funder of the UK Dementia Research Institute, a £290 million joint investment with the Medical Research Council and Alzheimer's Society. In 2017, former Prime Minister
David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...
was appointed president of Alzheimer's Research UK, an unpaid voluntary position. Lord Cameron initially served as President from January 2017 - November 2023. He stood down from the role when he became Foreign Secretary in November 2023, while remaining a Patron of the charity. In February 2025, Lord Cameron returned to the position of President. Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society were the joint Charity of the Year for the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon. The Dementia Revolution campaign raised £4 million, supporting research at the UK Dementia Research Institute. In 2021, Alzheimer's Research UK launched a public awareness campaign, called Think Brain Health. The campaign aims to highlight the importance of good brain health, and how making small lifestyle changes can help reduce the risk of dementia in later life. In 2023, the charity launched an online check-in tool to support people to protect their brain health. In 2023, estimates made by Alzheimer's Research UK suggested that clinical trials for lecanemab and donanemab would only find 575,000 people living in the UK eligible for treatment. The challenge was, these people needed a diagnosis but the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the term for the publicly funded health care, publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom: the National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care (Northern ...
couldn't deliver at that scale. This was because of the risks of side effects, few
PET A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...
scanners to diagnose
Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
and limited skilled professionals to perform lumbar punctures. Within the organisation in 2023, David Mayhew CBE (former Chairman of JP Morgan Cazenove) became Vice President of Alzheimer's Research UK. Prior to his role as Vice President, Mayhew was Chair of the Board of Trustees at Alzheimer's Research UK for more than a decade. In 2024, Prof Sir John Hardy became a Vice President of Alzheimer’s Research UK. His work has led to significant advances in the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, laying the groundwork for the first treatments that can slow the disease. In February 2025, Gavin Patterson, former President and Chief Revenue Officer of Salesforce and CEO of BT Group, was appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees for the charity. The charity reported a total income of £56.9m for the 12-month period ending March 2024, £34.6m committed to charitable activities.


Charitable Activities


Research

Alzheimer's Research UK funds research across three key areas, which are to treat, diagnose and prevent dementia.   The charity’s research looks into all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia, as well as some rarer causes. The charity has funded over 1,293 dementia research projects in the UK and globally, across 134 organisations.


Research discoveries

* In 2008, Alzheimer’s Research UK-funded researchers from King’s College London revealed that antipsychotic medication, commonly prescribed to people with dementia, can worsen symptoms and double the risk of death when used long term. The clinical findings contributed to the November 2009 Government report that pledged to cut the use of antipsychotics by two-thirds, and the high-profile ongoing campaign since. * In 2009, Alzheimer's Research UK scientists discovered two new genes related to Alzheimer's. Over 16,000 people took part in this study. * In 2012 a project led by scientists at UCL’s Institute or Neurology, with funding from Alzheimer's Research UK, resulted in the discovery of a rare genetic mutation that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The international team studied data from more than 25,000 people to link a rare variant of the TREM2 gene – which is known to play a role in the immune system – to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. The study has had major implications for understanding the causes of the disease.


Awareness raising

Alzheimer's Research UK runs
Dementia Research Infoline
available for people who have questions about dementia and research into the condition. The charity also produces free dementia health information booklets for the public. Alzheimer's Research UK also encourages people to sign up to take part in dementia research, through Join Dementia Research. This service is run by the National Institute for Health and Research in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer Scotland. The charity has run a number of public awareness campaigns to challenge misconceptions surrounding dementia. This includes it
#ShareTheOrange campaign
which aimed to improve understanding of the diseases that cause dementia and how research can overcome them. Hollywood-actor Samuel L Jackson featured in the campaign’s most recent film. In 2021, Alzheimer's Research UK launched its ongoin
Think Brain Health campaign
to raise awareness of the steps people can take to reduce their risk of dementia.


Campaigning and influence

As well as funding biomedical research, Alzheimer's Research UK campaigns to ensure people with dementia and research into the condition remain a political priority. Following the Conservatives’ 2019 election promise to double dementia research funding to over £160 million a year, the charity has been calling on government to deliver on the pledge. In 2021, the charity delivered a petition, signed by 51,000 people and backed by Dame Judi Dench, to then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to outline how the government plans to deliver the doubling of dementia research funding. In March 2023, Hilary Evans-Newton, the charity’s Chief Executive, was appointed co-chair of the government’
Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme


See also

* Alzheimer's Society * Dementia UK


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Alzheimer's and dementia organizations Health charities in the United Kingdom Mental health organisations in the United Kingdom Neuroscience in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Cambridgeshire Science and technology in Cambridgeshire South Cambridgeshire District 1992 establishments in the United Kingdom