OUR RESEARCH

RACE AGAINST DEMENTIA RESEARCHERS

MEET THE BRIGHT MINDS ACCELERATING DEMENTIA RESEARCH

We support the world’s brightest dementia research scientists – funding, coaching, mentoring, inspiring – helping propel them towards being leaders in their field. We catalyse research work via a culture informed by the problem-solving mindset seen in Formula 1 and leading technology companies.

Race Against Dementia Fellows and Race Against Dementia Associates

Dr Aitana Sogorb-Esteve

University College London, UK
Investigating what goes wrong in the connections between brain cells (synapses) by studying the proteins that are found within them.

Dr Wioleta Zelek

Cardiff University, UK
Researching overactivity in the membrane attack complex (MAC) – a complex of proteins typically formed on the surface of pathogen cell membranes – and how to mitigate it. The inflammation it causes is an important driver of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Claire Durrant

University of Edinburgh, UK
Claire uses post-mortem human brain tissue and organotypic cultures to study synapse loss mechanisms in Alzheimer’s and related diseases at her Edinburgh research laboratory.

Dr Maura Malpetti

University of Cambridge, UK
Understanding the role of inflammation in dementia and symptom progression by testing special brain scans and blood tests to measure and predict the illness.

Dr Pradeep Manuneedhi Cholan

Macquarie University, Sydney
Studying how bacteria in our gut can affect the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by alleviating and exacerbating the progression. His research will give clues to early diagnosis and the development of new treatments.

Dr Emily Lane-Hill

University of Warwick, UK
Researching how clumps of tau inside neurons can alter their function and their ability to communicate with other neurons.

Dr Adekunle Bademosi

University of Queensland, Australia
Dr Adekunle Bademosi is researching the mechanisms that underpin the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, particularly frontotemporal dementia.

Dr Andrew McKinnon

University of Sydney, Australia
Dr Andrew McKinnon is investigating the link between sleep-awake disturbances, brain changes, dementia risk factors and the accumulation of dementia pathology.

Dr Karissa Barthelson

Flinders University, Australia
Dr Karissa Barthelson is studying whether Alzheimer’s disease and Sanfilippo syndrome childhood dementia share a common pathological basis – and the feasibility of targeting both conditions with similar treatment strategies.

Dr Ellen Dicks

Alzheimer Center Amsterdam/Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
Understanding the biological basis of brain connectivity loss and its role in Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Dr Christy Hung

University College London/Francis Crick Institute, UK
Investigating the role of autophagy – a cellular ‘garbage disposal’ system that removes and recycles damaged material to prevent the build-up of toxic waste within the cells.

Dr Cara Croft

University College London, UK
Exploring how genetic risk factors can contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease and whether these genetic pathways can be targeted with future drugs.

Dr Everard (Jort) Vijverberg

Alzheimer Center Amsterdam
Developing drug discovery and trials that will dramatically accelerate the time to treat a dementia patient with new drugs.

Dr Bhuvaneish T Slevaraj

University of Edinburgh
Deciphering mechanisms that lead to neuron vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases and translating findings to high-throughput drug screening platforms.

Dr Rahel Park

Neva University and Geneva University Hospital
Investigating potential links between gut microbiome composition and its metabolites and the pathophysiology of normal pressure hydrocephalus, a leading cause of reversible dementia.

Dr Sam Nightingale

University of Cape Town
Investigating whether people with HIV have more amyloid protein in the brain and therefore a higher prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Jake Brooks

University of Warwick, UK
Investigating how air pollution can contribute to different types of dementia and studying the effects of metal pollution particles that make their way into the brain.

Dr Amy Lloyd

University of Dundee, UK
Investigating the complex interplay between microglia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Ziphozihle Ntwatwa

University of Cape Town
Studying the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in a large clinical cohort of people living with HIV.

Dr Audrey Low

University of Cambridge / Mayo Clinic
Investigating whether the fluid build-up in these spaces is also connected to the toxic proteins that are known to cause Alzheimer’s.