Cost too high, benefit too small. No new drugs on the NHS
23 June 2025
The NHS will not be offering patients two new drugs that slow progression of Alzheimer’s Disease following a decision by the regulator, NICE. They have assessed that donanemab and lecanemab provide only a small benefit which does not justify the high cost to the health service.
Latest AI and synthetic data workshop in Birmingham
6 June 2025
DPUK’s Data Portal team is hosting the latest of a series of workshops about AI in research in collaboration with the UK Synthetic Data Community Group in Birmingham on 20th June. Registration is FREE and there is help available for the cost of travel.
Generating synthetic data using AI for neuroimaging - Webinar 29th May
28 May 2025
Seminar: Generating synthetic data using AI for neuroimaging DPUK has teamed up with the Deep Dementia Phenotyping (DEMON) Network to present a series of online webinars about applications and benefits of AI in dementia research. The first in the series was held on Thursday 29th May.
READ-OUT Study Progress: 8 UK Sites Now Open with More to Follow This Month
14 May 2025
DPUK's READ-OUT project has reached a notable milestone with eight sites now actively recruiting participants across the UK, and several more centres set to open by the end of the month. This steady expansion represents important progress in improving dementia diagnosis through blood biomarker research.
DPUK collaboration wins HSJ Partnership Award
26 March 2025
Congratulations to everyone in the project team, winners of the HSJ Award for the ‘Best Pharmaceutical Partnership with the NHS’. The project was described by the organisers as 'improving accurate, early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease'.
Digital test is a boost to READ-OUT biomarker study into effective ways of spotting dementia sooner
25 March 2025
People could get the right help for the diseases that can cause dementia sooner following the announcement today of a £2 million injection of funding from the government to help spot these earlier.
Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker Pilot Project launched at Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility
29 November 2024
A new service development project, run by Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) supported under a Collaborative Working Agreement by Eli Lilly and Company and Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been launched at the Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility (OH CRF).
DPUK Research Reflections
7 November 2024
It's been ten years since Dementias Platform UK first launched back in the autumn of 2014. We hear from some of those who were there when it all started as they give their assessment of what's been accomplished.
A decade of DPUK research
4 November 2024
Dementias Platform UK is ten years old. We launched in 2014 and have over the decade built an infrastructure which has enabled wide-ranging research and brought together a collaborative community in dementia research. During the 2024 Clinical Trials on Alzheimer's Disease (CTAD) conference, Professor John Gallacher was reflecting on a decade of hard work by the large team past and present at DPUK.
The drugs do work but cost too much
24 October 2024
This week Donanemab, a second new treatment that slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) but deemed too expensive by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for widespread use in the NHS. At the same time, DPUK gathered in Nottingham for the latest in our Great Minds events to consider, in the absence of and in addition to accessible treatments, how can you live well with dementia?
International Data Access
3 October 2024
DPUK is committed to internationalising access to datasets. Professor John Gallacher recently addressed a Summit in Washington DC about the high value of data sharing to advance dementia research.
DPUK says ‘Grounds for optimism’ after ground-breaking lecanemab drug gets a UK license…but it won't be used in the NHS.
22 August 2024
Lecanemab gets a green light, but only limited use for patients in the UK.
DPUK takeaways from AAIC 2024
14 August 2024
Our DPUK team from AAIC 24 is regrouping now after a very busy week covering lots of ground. We asked a few of them to tell us their personal highlights and share the big news stories to emerge.
New modifiable risks included in Lancet report on dementia
12 August 2024
The Lancet has just published its latest standing Commission on dementia prevention, intervention and care report.
Accelerating motor neurone disease research by harnessing the power of health data
25 July 2024
Research into the life-shortening neurological condition motor neurone disease (MND) will receive a major boost through the formation of a new data catalyst led by Dementias Platform UK (DPUK) and Health Data Research UK (HDR UK).
Date for your diary! Translation 2025 announced
4 July 2024
DPUK to host the dementia research community in London next year.
Revisit and reflect on Translation 2024: Watch conference sessions on demand!
24 May 2024
Dementias Platform UK recently welcomed the dementia research community to London for two days packed full of research updates, collaboration and networking at the Translation 2024 conference.
DPUK action to revolutionise dementia diagnosis rates through READ-OUT Project
23 May 2024
There is a huge focus right now around improving dementia diagnosis rates. Part of the work we’re doing here at DPUK enables researchers to identify biomarkers which may be able to detect the risk of dementia earlier, confirmed by a simple blood test. This could be transformational in speeding up and improving the diagnostic process.
GREAT MINDS LIVE explores the impacts of music and learning in later life
23 May 2024
Our rapidly growing register of healthy volunteers, Great Minds, is holding its next live event on May 16th. The focus is on language, learning and music.
Can we build a cognitive reserve to help mitigate mental decline as we age?
23 May 2024
One of our speakers at Great Minds Live on May 16th in Sheffield (and for hundreds more online), is Professor Carol Holland. She has been studying ageing health psychology and frailty throughout her career. Carol is Director of the Centre for Ageing Research at Lancaster University and is currently President of the British Society of Gerontology.