Dementia is the health condition most feared by older adults, but research at the University of Exeter can offer hope. As a world leader in dementia research, Exeter has made great strides in advancing our understanding of dementia by focusing on prevention, effective treatments and improving care and support for people living with the condition.

Our dementia research encompasses a spectrum of expertise. Our clinical, psychological and social research focuses on how to improve treatment and care, and how best to support people affected by dementia. We are an Alzheimer’s Society Centre of Excellence for dementia care research, with extensive collaborations and partnerships throughout the UK and internationally. 

improving treatment and care through world-class research

Exeter is fast becoming recognised for world-class dementia research. Our pioneering work in dementia and ageing is multi-faceted in its approach. Our basic research includes the identification of biological and genetic aspects associated with how and why we develop dementia with a view to developing new treatments and preventions.

Our applied research puts people at its heart, involving older people, healthcare workers, carers and care providers in identifying issues that research must address and performing research to deliver better care.

Our work is closing a recognised gap in translating basic research and new discoveries into commercially viable treatments that can make a real difference to health outcomes. We focus on discovering new, effective treatments and repositioning existing drugs to solve additional problems.

exeter is making a difference and so can you

Up to two thirds of people with Alzheimer’s disease experience psychotic episodes, yet this distressing symptom is still widely under-recognised and is challenging to treat. Current antipsychotic treatments have little impact on alleviating symptoms, but can have devastating side effects, leading to more than 1,600 unnecessary strokes and 1,800 unnecessary deaths in the UK every year. Professor Clive Ballard has played a key role in the development of a novel anti-psychotic which doesn’t have the side effects of other medications in patients with psychosis related to Parkinson’s. It has been approved for use in the US and is now being extensively tested for use in Europe.

We also know that a wide range of lifestyle factors can influence the risk of developing dementia. Our research is helping to establish how the choices we make and the activities we engage in can help to maintain cognitive health.

An international team, led by Exeter’s Senior Research Fellow Dr David Llewellyn, found that people severely deficient in Vitamin D were more than twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s. Clinical trials are now needed to establish whether the link is causal and eating foods such as oily fish or taking vitamin D supplements can delay or even prevent the onset of the diseases.

support this vital research today

Dementia is one of the greatest health challenges of our time: more than 44 million people have dementia worldwide – a number expected to triple by 2050. Your support will help us to increase the impact of Exeter’s Medical School, accelerating discovery in the risks, diagnosis and care of people with dementia – and developing new treatments and preventions.

All gifts, of every size are appreciated. Donations large and small help fund everything from the state of the art equipment we need to sequence DNA and the brilliant researchers who run clinical trials, to the chemicals needed to develop diagnostic tests.

Please give a gift today and help us continue to make life-saving advances in dementia research.

thankyou!