To mark the start of World Alzheimer’s Month, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is showcasing clinical research that could bring new hope to dementia patients and their families, and those with other neurodegenerative diseases, with the launch of www.FocusOnDementia.nihr.ac.uk. 

Aimed at the general public, the online showcase highlights some of the work supported by the NIHR, which could lead to better treatments and improvements in the quality of life for dementia sufferers.

The showcase reveals how researchers in Cambridge are investigating new gene therapy for Parkinson’s to help patients gain better control over the slow, stiff movement that is a feature of the disease.

It also features the work of researchers in London who are using NIHR investment to explore how tele-care and other home support can help dementia sufferers stay independent and live in their own homes longer.

Visitors to the site can read how the NIHR is supporting research into a “magic bullet” to help “repair” the brain and prevent people with Parkinson’s disease from developing dementia.

The showcase includes case studies and interviews with researchers, patient views on living with dementia and advice on finding out about current clinical trials.

Launched in 2006 by the Department of Health, the NIHR invests in all aspects of clinical research across England, so patients have the opportunity to take part in suitable studies and evidence can be gathered to keep improving treatments for NHS patients.

Over the past two years, the NIHR has put millions of dollars of extra investment into supporting clinical research into dementia, which affects 800,000 people in the U.K.—a figure expected to rise to one million by 2021.