More money and expertise will be ploughed in to dementia research in the hope of moving closer to finding a cure or better treatment for the millions of families affected by this devastating condition, UK Care Services Minister Paul Burstow announced.

The Minister and a group of 17 experts have launched a  'Route Map for Dementia Research' which:

• pledges up to £20 million from the Department of Health over five years for four new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Units;
• commits the Medical Research Council to increase funding for neurodegeneration research by ten percent to £150million over the next four years to 2015;
• boosts the number of experts in the dementia field through new Academic Clinical Fellowships;
• strengthens links between public and private research sectors to identify new opportunities for partnership; and
• ensures more patients and carers get involved in research through the NIHR's Dementia and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network which will facilitate research in the NHS and care home sector.

Source: Age UK