Reed Smith was pleased to advise Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading support and research charity for people with dementia, on its involvement in the establishment of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), a joint £250 million project with the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC) and Alzheimer’s Research UK. The UK DRI will carry out vital research into the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of dementia. Dementia affects 47 million people globally with nearly 10 million new cases diagnosed each year.
The UK DRI will bring together the expertise of over 400 scientists in a rich, varied and integrated programme of research relevant to all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia, Huntington’s disease and beyond. Centred on the need for innovative, early-stage science to advance understanding of how dementia develops and progresses, the UK DRI aims to bring new treatments to people with dementia faster.
Comprising six centres at universities across the UK with its headquarters at University College London (UCL), and connecting with dementia research bodies and charity-led initiatives, the UK DRI will engender shared scientific inspiration across the UK while making the most of cutting-edge local tools and infrastructure.
The Reed Smith pro bono team was led by London corporate partner Mark Sanders alongside corporate senior associate Johnathan Webber and corporate associate Kathryn Bond.
Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s Society, said:
“The UK Dementia Research Institute is a game-changing investment that will transform dementia research, not just in the UK but across the world. We are extremely grateful to the Reed Smith team for their expert advice, guidance and responsiveness throughout the project. In a world where one person develops dementia every three seconds, Reed Smith’s support in helping us establish the UK DRI has, without doubt, taken us several steps towards realising our vision of a world without dementia”
