Dementia charity voices underfunding fears as government invests £375m in neurodegenerative research

The Government has announced it will invest £375m over the next five years in research into neurodegenerative diseases, including Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Although the funding news has been welcomed by the Alzheimer’s Society, it has raised concerns that the money is less than half the amount promised in the Conservative manifesto in 2019.

Two years ago, the Conservative party pledged to double dementia research funding to £166m per year over ten years.

Fiona Carragher, director of Research and Influencing at the charity said: “We’re really concerned that this manifesto commitment is being watered down. And how much of this will actually go to dementia – the UK’s biggest killer?

“Our recent report with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on dementia found that, despite chronic underfunding, dementia research had finally been gaining momentum and starting to deliver exciting results, but the impact of the pandemic has been devastating.

“Government inaction now risks setting dementia research back by ten years, as much-needed new treatments, diagnostic tests and care guidance will be held back from people.”

The funding of £375m includes at least £50 million for motor neurone disease related research to find a cure - a condition that affects the brain and nerves and affects 5,000 people in the UK. New, innovative projects will help researchers to better understand the disease and its related conditions, develop and test treatments and improve care for those living with MND.

The government said the full £375 million investment will fund projects into a range of diseases such as Pick's Disease, Fronto-temporal dementia, wernicke-korsakoff, Parkinson's disease dementia, Lewy Body dementia, Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, improving understanding while searching for new treatments.

For MND, a new NIHR Research Unit will be set up to coordinate research applications for the new funding, encouraging more innovative studies with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “We’ve already invested millions in understanding and treating MND and our new funding commitment will back more research into this and other neurodegenerative diseases.

“The UK is a global leader in medical research. Our world-class research sector was central to the discovery of lifesaving treatments for COVID-19 like dexamethasone and Tocilizumab, as well as the development of the vaccine programme which has saved hundreds of thousands of lives.

“We will continue to harness this expertise and innovation to support pioneering projects to find better treatments for those living with motor neurone disease, like the excellent work underway at NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre where scientists are trialling new drugs to treat the condition.”

There is currently only one drug licensed in the UK to treat MND – Riluzole – which slows the progression of the disease and extends someone's life by a few months. It is hoped the funding will accelerate progress across the UK to find better treatments for MND, and give people living with the condition the chance of a better quality of life, and more good years with their loved ones.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The UK is home to some of the most transformative and innovative medical research in the world, and the availability of this research funding, alongside the work of our strong life science and pharmaceuticals sector, will make the most of that research to help those living with motor neurone disease.

“It is vital that we increase our understanding of this condition in pursuit of new treatments and better care, and I am pleased to see UK institutions at the forefront of that work.”

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has committed to ongoing research into MND. The NIHR has also awarded a Research Professorship to leading motor neurone disease researcher Professor Chris McDermott. The award will focus on improving care for people with MND, bolstering leadership in this area of research, and strengthening the design of clinical trials to help more people with the disease take part.

As well as the funding for research into neurodegenerative diseases, a new motor neurone disease partnership will be formed to pool expertise and resources across the research community to accelerate the delivery of new treatments. The partnership, backed by £4 million, is co-funded by the National Institute for Health Research, UK Research and Innovation, Life Arc, MND Association and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

Researchers can apply for funding via the NIHR and UKRI websites.