In November 2023, the British Embassy in Brussels hosted a momentous networking event, titled “Unravelling Dementia Together: Innovations from UK and Belgium”. This unique get-together connected leading dementia innovators and research experts from both countries, fostering discussions and introductions that could ultimately shape the future of dementia research and treatment.

In his welcoming words, Professor Simon Lovestone underlined the importance of connecting Belgium and the UK as hotspots of dementia research. The event was in honour of the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission. The beloved Dame Barbara Windsor, a well-known actress, was also a passionate advocate for dementia research, urging public support against the disease. Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Research UK and co-chair of the Mission, outlined its objectives and programmes.

A panel discussion on the challenges in clinical trial design with industry representatives revealed significant evolutions in the field over the past 5-10 years. Recent insights include the necessity to recruit and treat patients earlier, the importance of accounting for diversity in study cohorts, and the need to be able to identify suitable participants for trials. The current shortage of study nurses was highlighted as one of the major challenges.

The UK BioBank was presented by Professor Sir Rory Collins as a global resource for dementia research, with its prospective cohorts providing invaluable data on risk factors and gene-environment interactions in a pool of 500,000 people. An impressive amount of genetics, omics, imaging and healthcare data is repetitively collected in these cohorts.

Professor Bart De Strooper highlighted a crucial point: dementia is a medical problem as significant as cancer, affecting approximately 50 million people worldwide. Its economic impact even surpasses that of cancer. He emphasised the need to destigmatise dementia, pointing out that despite its gradual progression, individuals can contribute significantly to society for many years. He further shared his take on the amyloid cascade hypothesis anno 2024 and recent results from antibody trials.

Dr. Patrick Downey from UCB discussed their ongoing clinical trials, in partnership with Roche and Novartis, illustrating their commitment to running large-scale, impactful studies on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Dries Braeken (imec) brought an innovative perspective with imec’s nanotechnology solutions for brain research, including the Neuropixels probe, the brain-on-a-chip and its application to Parkinson's disease, the perforated mesh MEAs (micro-electrode arrays) for brain organoids, and sensor-integrated microfluidic devices to model the blood-brain barrier.

Dr. Ana Antunes-Martins from the UK DRI, who moderated the panel debate, shared her enthusiasm: “It was a pleasure to take part in this fantastic event, strengthening research ties between the UK and Belgium. Dementia is a major global challenge and requires concerted approaches internationally. As the UK’s leading biomedical institute dedicated to neurodegenerative disease, we’re proud to spearhead these efforts alongside European partners in the CURE-ND alliance. We very much look forward to future opportunities for collaboration.”