UNIVERSITY College London, London, UK, will host a £250 million dementia research institute for the study of the leading cause of death in England and Wales.
The UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC) has appointed Prof Bart De Strooper as the Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI). Prof De Strooper is currently the Group Leader of the Laboratory for the Research of Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
In a statement, Prof De Strooper said: “I am delighted to be directing a world-leading initiative with as much as potential as the UK DRI. The UK research landscape is brimming with talent and opportunity. My vision is to establish a unique environment with a diverse and interdisciplinary team ready to undertake creative and innovative research.”
The new institute has received a joint investment of £250 million for research into the diagnosis and treatment of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases. The DRI was founded by the MRC in partnership with the charities Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK. In a statement, Prof John Savill, the Chief Executive of the MRC, said that: “Dementia research is a very high priority at the MRC and the new Institute will place the UK at the centre of a global ambition to overcome these diseases.”
Recruitment will take place throughout 2017 for the DRI ‘Hub’ at University College London and for a number of regional DRI centres across the country. This includes plans for 20 group leader positions for young scientists.
Jack Redden, Reporter
