Lady Sylvia Hermon MP with Dr Janet Johnston, Marie Janson and Dr Christian Hölscher at the launch

Northern Ireland’s first centre for the Alzheimer’s Research Trust Network, a partnership between the University of Ulster and QUB, has been launched by Lady Sylvia Hermon MP.

The North Down MP, whose husband, former RUC Chief Constable Sir John Hermon, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2002 welcomed the new centre, saying:

”Alzheimer’s is such a dreadfully cruel disease. It steals a person’s memory, it steals the personality and steals human dignity.

“We owe Alzheimer’s sufferers and carers the very best of research to not only deal with its symptoms but to find a cure to prevent it in the first place.”

The Alzheimer’s Research Trust is providing £95,000 to fund the Northern Ireland Network centre for an initial four and a half year period.

As the number of people with dementia is set to double within a generation, this centre aims to support research into the disease.

There are currently 16,000 people with dementia in Northern Ireland, a figure projected to increase to 20,500 by 2017 and to over 47,000 by 2051.

The cost of care for Alzheimer’s is more than for cancer, heart disease and stroke combined, but the amount of funding for Alzheimer’s is only a small fraction of any one of those conditions.

Welcoming the establishment of the ART network, Professor Richard Barnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster, said: "The research on this cruel and dehumanising disease undertaken by ART will draw on the expertise of staff based in our Schools of Biomedical Sciences and Psychology.

"Biomedical Science at Ulster is one of our leading research centres having been awarded the highest possible rating of 5* in each of the two most recent Research Assessment Exercises.

“A central aspect of our biomedical sciences research is the study of degenerative diseases and diseases associated with the ageing process. The link between diet, lifestyle, cognitive performance and these diseases forms a vital part part of our work.”

The Vice-Chancellor also thanked Marie Janson of the Alzheimer's Research Trust for the confidence that they have shown in the research being undertaken at the two Northern Ireland universities.

The new Network will include 15 researchers based across both universities with an interest in the underlying causes or novel treatments for Alzheimer’s.

The Network also includes research clinicians who specialise in Geriatric Medicine and run local memory clinics.

Dr Christian Hölscher, Senior Lecturer in Neurosciences at the Coleraine campus, will co-ordinate the Network along with Dr Janet Johnston from the Division of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at QUB.

Dr Hölscher said: "The new ART Network in Northern Ireland will bring together all researchers and clinicians who work on Alzheimer’s disease to unite their strength and specialisations."

Dr Johnston added: “I welcome this Network as a very positive development for research into Alzheimer’s disease in Northern Ireland. The establishment of the Northern Ireland Alzheimer’s Trust Network signals national recognition of our research and opens up new funding opportunities. It will help foster links between local researchers, those in the UK and our international counterparts.”

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust said: “We are delighted to be launching the Northern Ireland Network centre. The next big Alzheimer’s breakthrough will only come if researchers work together. Through the Network centre we hope to promote research collaborations within the Northern Ireland area as well as with our other Network centres throughthe UK.”

The Alzheimer’s Research Trust Network links 15 UK centres of research, each headed by an internationally distinguished research scientist. The Network centres share data and findings, pool resources when appropriate and have anannual conference to exchange ideas and results.

Further information on the Alzheimer’s Research Trust Network can be found at

http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/research/currentresearch/network/

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young