Scientists from the University of Leeds have been awarded £30,000, by leading charity the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, to try to uncover the causes of Alzheimer’s disease. The news comes as Leeds North West MP, Greg Mulholland, signs a parliamentary motion calling for more government support for dementia research.

At the moment, the causes of Alzheimer’s are not well understood. By working out what is happening in the brain during the disease, Leeds researchers hope to pave the way for new treatments.

In Alzheimer’s disease, brain cells become damaged and then die – this is thought to cause the symptoms of memory loss and decline in thinking skills. Exactly what triggers cell death is not well known; if researchers find out, they can start to find ways to prevent it from happening, potentially halting dementia. The University of Leeds team, led by Dr Lin-Hua Jiang, believe a ‘channel’ molecule that regulates the calcium flow into and out of cells is involved.

Dr Jiang said: “We know that amounts of calcium inside cells are under tight controls in normal conditions. We also know that a protein called amyloid builds up in Alzheimer’s brains. Amyloid can disrupt calcium control and cause calcium overloading, nerve cell damage and death. We are going to investigate the link between amyloid, calcium and cell death.”

Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:

“We are delighted to be funding the University of Leeds’ outstanding scientists in what could be a breakthrough study in understanding the causes of Alzheimer’s. If this hypothesis is proven, we not only will have a better understanding of the basic processes involved in the development of Alzheimer’s, but may also open a new window to explore effective therapeutic strategies for preventing and treating Alzheimer’s.

“Nearly 8,000 people in Leeds have Alzheimer’s or other dementias, and that number is set to double within a generation. We desperately need to fund more research to tackle this devastating condition.”

Greg Mulholland, Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West, signed a parliamentary motion that “agrees with the Alzheimer’s Research Trust that dementia research must have substantially more financial support than its current 2.5% share of the medical research budget; and urges the government to increase support for the UK’s world-class dementia scientists in their search for new preventions, treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s and other dementias.”

At a follow-up parliamentary debate on the National Dementia Strategy, Mr Mulholland said:
"I welcome the National Dementia Strategy as a step in the right direction. However it falls far short when it comes to research funding. The Government spends eight times less on dementia research than it does on cancer research, even though over 500,000 people have dementia in this country and numbers will rise rapidly in the future.

“Due to our ageing population, continued underinvestment in dementia research means that the amount of care needed in the future could have catastrophic consequences for the economy".

The local MP has a long-standing interest in dementia. He previously accompanied the author Sir Terry Pratchett and representatives of the Alzheimer's Research Trust to 10 Downing Street to present the case for increased funding to the Prime Minister.