Charlie’s Big Thank You Awareness Event
Friday 18th March 2016
WHY WE’RE ALL HERE
Dementia, the most common cause of which is Alzheimer’s disease, affects one in fourteen people over the age of 65 increasing to one in three of those in their nineties. It can be devastating, not just for the patient, but for their family and friends who see a loved one’s health and personality change before their eyes. There is currently no cure and often the disease is diagnosed after significant brain damage has already been done which makes early diagnosis vitally important.
YOUR SUPPORT IS MAKING A HUGE DIFFERENCE
Quite simply, you are helping our researchers at the University of Aberdeen to understand the causes of dementia, develop new methods for early diagnosis and understand disease progression, all of which is facilitating the development of more effective treatments.
The sooner Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related diseases are diagnosed the better. Also, understanding the onset and progression of the disease in individuals is key to determining what external and genetic factors may be associated with the risk of developing dementia.
So the pieces of equipment you have helped the team to buy are absolutely crucial:
- the high-performance liquid chromatographer (HPLC) separates out different chemicals
- the mass spectrometer (MS) identifies these chemicals in tiny amounts
- the peptide synthesiser about to be bought thanks to a donation from Apache generates sub-units of proteins that can be made into tracers (this currently has to be sent to Italy)
- the cassette-reactor produces different tracers labelled with radioactive isotopes
Using this equipment our researchers are building a much more complete picture of these devastating diseases. They are discovering new methods of early diagnosis while also conducting intensive brain imaging studies and cognitive tests to provide an in-depth insight into contributing factors. They are therefore developing new treatments and using sophisticated models to better understand disease progression.
All thanks to you.
BUT WE CAN’T STOP THERE
The University of Aberdeen undertakes globally-renowned research into dementia and, looking to the future, we are in in an ideal situation to lead the way in further research and the development of new drugs thanks to your support.
However, further support from friends of the University is needed for:
- a number of other pieces of equipment required to take our research even further (speak to our team for further information)
- funding for vital lifestyle studies such as brain MRI, genetic and life-course risk assessments within our key birth cohort project ‘Children of the 50s’ which advances our understanding of healthy aging
- PhD scholarships which are the lifeblood of innovation and exploration and bring new thinking and ideas to our team while enabling us to recruit the best students from around the world
We hope the information above lets you know how important you are to dementia research at the University of Aberdeen. Please take it from everybody involved that you are directly responsible for improving the lives of countless dementia patients and their families and friends now and in the future.
FROM CHARLIE AND FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN, THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH.
For more information contact Cara Baird at the University of Aberdeen Development Trust on 01224 273278 or email c.baird@abdn.ac.uk. University of Aberdeen Development Trust, Powis Gate, College Bounds, Aberdeen AB24 3UG.
