Dementia Research Funding Announced

Medical research aimed at unlocking the secrets of the brain has been given a boost with the announcement of six new dementia research grants.
The grants, announced by Federal Minister for Health Tanya Plibersek and Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler will go to projects across the nation.
Vitamin B12, commonly found in seafood like oysters, has a key role in normal brain functioning and University of Wollongong Professor Brett Garner will receive $429,011 to investigate how a lack of Vitamin B12 contributes to age-related memory loss, reasoning and decision making.
In Victoria, two grants have been allocated to the University of Melbourne. Professor Roberto Cappai will receive $551,222 to determine the specific type of protein that may be toxic to brain cells and Professor David Scott will receive $670,949 to determine the impact of anaesthesia and surgery in patients with mild age-related memory loss, reasoning and decision making.
Dr Brett Collins and colleagues from The University of Queensland’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) and Queensland Brain Institute will receive $456,787 to investigate potential new drug targets for Alzheimer’s treatment.
In WA, Edith Cowan University’s Dr Giuseppe Verdile will receive $536,949 to investigate proteins that cause early onset Alzheimer's Disease, one of the most common forms of dementia.
University of Tasmania Professor David Small will receive $390,758 to investigate the way new drugs can ‘block’ the build up of toxicity in the brain protein that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
Ms Plibersek said this research aims to make dementia a far less debilitating condition than what it is today.
“Dementia is likely to affect 900,000 Australians by 2050 and I’m proud that Australia is acting now in whole range of areas like research, awareness and better services,” Ms Plibersek said.
Mr Butler said dementia had achieved national prominence this decade and it was important that we continued to support Australian research. “We’ve made dementia a national priority area this year and that’s supported with research funding, including these grants through the National Health and Medical Research Council,” Mr Butler said