Supporting Alzheimer’s Disease Research at the University of Aberdeen March 2017
The University of Aberdeen is grateful to Mr Charlie Bain for being a valued supporter and friend for many years. During this time, your support has strengthened the University’s research into Alzheimer’s Disease. This document has been created to say thank you, to summarise your support to date and to provide an update on the difference you have made.
A shared interest
Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia affecting more than 50,000 people in Scotland. There is currently no cure which makes early diagnosis crucial for treatment to be effective. Coping with Alzheimer’s Disease is an immense challenge for patients, their families and friends. There is an urgent need for further medical research to establish methods of early diagnosis and effective treatment options.
‘Funny Memories’, ‘Different Dancing Memories’ and your more recent fundraising video have raised awareness of the crucial need to address this devastating disease. At the University of Aberdeen, we share your passion and commitment to help as many people as possible. Thanks to your support, we currently have a team of researchers conducting pioneering research into Alzheimer’s Disease working to improve the lives of many.
Your support to date
Since 2012 your fundraising efforts have resulted in more than £150,000 being donated to the University to support research into Alzheimer’s Disease. Your generosity has enabled the purchase of vital equipment for the University’s John Mallard PET Centre which conducts clinical and pre-clinical research using PET radiopharmaceuticals within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. The purchase of a Mass Spectrometer/High Performance Liquid Chromatography System and a cassette-based radiopharmaceuticals production reactor allows us produce tracers to administer to the patients and people helping us with our research. The equipment also provides more accurate and sensitive analysis identifying tracers that bind to plaques associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.
The difference your support has made
Your support has been crucial in developing our research into Alzheimer’s Disease. Since 2012 the equipment has been used in various studies which have led to the following outcomes:
- Successful research publications – PET imaging has emerged as a powerful technology for the diagnosis and staging of a number of diseases, as well as a tool in drug design and development. In 2013, a team of researchers at Aberdeen published an article on PET tracers with diagnostic potential in Alzheimer’s Disease. Building on the success of this publication, the team recently published a follow-up article in another Royal Society of Chemistry Journal. The article shared the team’s findings on a new PET tracer, HU-210 and HU-211, which can be used to evaluate a number of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s Disease. The study would not have been possible without the equipment generously donated to the John Mallard PET Centre.
- Changes to clinical practice – The equipment has been used to produce 18F-tracers which have been used in a clinical study on dementia working in collaboration with TauRX. The international clinical trial involved around 80 patients locally and has demonstrated that PET imaging should be used as the diagnostic method of choice for young-onset dementia patients, including those with Alzheimer’s Disease. This breakthrough has led to PET imaging becoming the National Health Service Grampian’s diagnostic method of choice influencing clinical practice.
- Supporting research studentships – In October 2016 Kotryna Baronaite joined the University to carry out a project in collaboration with TauRX. Kotryna will be developing a new PET tracer for Alzheimer’s Disease based on molecules shown to successfully target tau pathology in previous research. Her project relies heavily on the equipment you have supported and it is hoped that this research will enable successful TauRX clinical trials in future.
- Supporting clinical service – As well as supporting research into Alzheimer’s Disease, the equipment also supports clinical activity for patients with a range of other conditions including cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The difference your support continues to make
The University is currently in the process of purchasing a new peptide synthesiser funded by Apache North Sea Limited through Mr Charlie Bain. This vital piece of equipment, together with the equipment already in place, will continue to support further studies developing methods or early diagnosis and treatment options for Alzheimer’s Disease.
We look forward to supporting ‘Different Singing Memories’ in 2018 raising crucial funding to establish the ‘Different Memories Studentship’. The studentship will focus exclusively on research into Alzheimer’s Disease utilising the equipment in the John Mallard PET Centre. This studentship will be a major development with the potential to significantly advance our research into Alzheimer’s Disease.
Thank you
Thank you for supporting research into Alzheimer’s Disease at the University of Aberdeen. The above is a brief summary of the tremendous difference your support has made. We would be happy to provide further detail to you or any of your supporters if this would be of interest.
