Alzheimer's Research UK

Alzheimer's Research UK (ARUK) is a dementia research charity in the United Kingdom, founded in 1992 as the Alzheimer's Research Trust.

ARUK funds scientific studies to find ways to treat, cure or prevent all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.

As of 2019, Alzheimer's Research UK has funded 139 research projects across the UK and internationally, and has committed more than £117 million to dementia research.

Alzheimer's Research UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities.

History


In 1998, the trust awarded its first major grant of £500,000 to a team led by distinguished scientist Dr Michel Goedert in Cambridge. At that time the charity funded over 100 grants all over the UK at a cost of more than £11 million.

In March 2008, author Terry Pratchett, who had the disease, donated one million US dollars to the trust.

In February 2010, the Alzheimer's Research Trust released the Dementia 2010 report, revealing new evidence of the prevalence, economic cost and research funding for dementia and other major conditions.

In 2016, Alzheimer's Research UK became a founding funder of the UK Dementia Research Institute, a £290 million joint investment with the Medical Research Council and Alzheimer's Society.

In 2017, former Prime Minister David Cameron was appointed president of Alzheimer's Research UK.

Alzheimer's Research UK and Alzheimer's Society were the joint Charity of the Year for the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon. The Dementia Revolution campaign raised £4 million, supporting research at the UK Dementia Research Institute.

The charity reported a total income of £38.5m for the 12-month period ending March 2019, £36.7m of which was income from donations.

In 2023, estimates made by Alzheimer's Research UK suggested that clinical trials for lecanemab and donanemab would only find 575,000 people living in the UK eligible for treatment. The challenge was, these people needed a diagnosis but the National Health Service couldn't deliver at that scale. This was because of the risks of side effects, few PET scanners to diagnose Alzheimer's and limited skilled professionals to perform lumbar punctures.