The Preventative Health Flagship is developing technology platforms and forming partnerships to identify new preventative approaches to these diseases.
Why is it important to study neurodegenerative diseases?
With life expectancies increasing around the world, populations are ageing and neurodegenerative diseases have become a global issue.
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease are the most common cause of dementia, thought to be responsible for up to 70 per cent of cases. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease which can affect all areas of the brain, gradually causing memory loss and loss of abilities.
The risk of Alzheimer's disease increases with age. People aged in their sixties and above are the most likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, although it is possible for it to develop earlier.
In Australia alone, there were more than 162 000 people with dementia in 2002. It is estimated that this number will increase by 10 per cent each year, reaching up to 500 000 by 2040, with resulting financial costs in the region of A$6.6 billion.
At present, although doctors can make a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease based on a patient's symptoms, the only way to confirm the diagnosis is by examining the brain after they have died.
How is CSIRO addressing national challenges in neurodegenerative disease?
Neurodegenerative disorders are the result of abnormalities in the transport, degradation and aggregation of particular types of proteins in the brain.
It is estimated that up to half a million Australians could be living with dementia by 2040, most caused by Alzheimer's disease.
There are currently no known biomarkers or preventative strategies for neurodegenerative diseases. This provides much opportunity for ground-breaking research.
Preventative Health Flagship research is centred around prevention, susceptibility, early detection and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Current focus areas include:
We also initiated the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL) in 2006, and results to date have been extremely encouraging. The imaging component alone has potentially brought forward the detection of Alzheimer's disease by 18 months.
Contact us
If you are interested in forming research collaborations or commercial partnerships to facilitate the successful development of diagnostics and biomarkers for neurodegenerative disease, contact the Preventative Health Flagship.
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