National five-year program will study diagnosis, risk and prevention
A new national research centre will spend five years tackling vascular dementia, one of the most preventable forms of dementia.
Led by Scientia Professor Perminder Sachdev, the NHMRC-funded Centre of Research Excellence in Vascular Contributions to Dementia will operate through UNSW Sydney’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing.
Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. It accounts for up to one in four dementia cases and contributes to around half of cases with multiple underlying causes.
Many risk factors for the condition can be changed. They include high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and lifestyle factors.
Professor Sachdev said the centre aims to change how vascular dementia is diagnosed, prevented and treated. “If we can better understand and control the vascular causes of dementia, we have a real opportunity to reduce the burden of dementia in Australia and globally,” he said.
Five-year plan targets earlier diagnosis
Over the next five years, researchers will test internationally developed diagnostic criteria for vascular cognitive impairment and dementia. They will also develop blood, brain imaging and retinal biomarkers to support earlier and more accurate diagnosis.
Teams will study genetic and population-specific risk factors. They will also use artificial intelligence and multi-omics technologies to identify possible new drug targets.
In addition, the centre plans to develop prevention strategies that can be used globally. It will also set up a national think tank on vascular dementia, strengthen consumer involvement in research and train the next generation of researchers.
Specialists from neuropsychiatry, neurology, cardiovascular medicine, stroke, endocrinology, geriatrics, neuroimaging, genetics, proteomics, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics and statistics will take part.
Partner organisations include UNSW Sydney, the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, the University of Newcastle and The George Institute for Global Health, alongside other Australian and international collaborators.
According to UNSW Sydney, the new centre builds on Australia’s first national vascular dementia research centre and expands existing work in the field.
NHMRC chief executive Professor Steve Wesselingh said health and medical research can improve lives by building evidence that lifts health outcomes across Australia.
