World Dementia envoy to visit
The federal government will next week welcome the World Dementia Envoy to discuss how Australia can best contribute to the international effort to find a cure for dementia by 2025.
Health Minister Peter Dutton says collaborative research is the only way we will make progress in our understanding and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Health Minister Peter Dutton says it is crucial the federal government's significant funding boost of an additional $200 million to dementia research complement international efforts to counter dementia.
The World Dementia Envoy, Dr Dennis Gillings, was appointed by British Prime Minister David Cameron on behalf of the G7 earlier this year. He will visit Australia next week from 1 to 3 December.
He leads the World Dementia Council which set an ambition to identify a cure or disease-modifying therapy for dementia by 2025.
“Dementia is the most feared disease for Australian’s over the age of 50, and high quality, collaborative research is the only way we will make progress in our understanding and treatment of this disease,” Minister Dutton says.
“Our dementia research boost includes funding for large national dementia research teams as well as early career researchers,” he says.
“Importantly it also includes the establishment of the NHMRC National Institute for Dementia Research to prioritise and coordinate the national effort in dementia research.
“We expect this funding boost will lead to substantial improvements in our understanding, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of this devastating disease.
“I look forward to my meeting with Dr Gillings next week to ensure our significant contribution complements work being done elsewhere around the world.”
While in Australia, Dr Gillings will meet other senior federal government Ministers, relevant Departments and agencies and leaders and consumers from Alzheimer’s Australia.
He will give a public lecture entitled ‘International action towards a cure for dementia: Risk reduction, diagnosis and care’ next Monday at NHMRC offices in Canberra and another at the Peter Doherty Institute, University of Melbourne next Wednesday entitled ‘Towards an Action Plan for a Cure for Dementia’.
