First European strategy to tackle neurodegenerative disease
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Working with European partners, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has led the development of a broad, Europe-wide research strategy aimed at tackling the challenge of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The strategy will be announced today in Brussels.
The EU Joint Programme in Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) is the first of the European Joint Programming initiatives designed to address the ‘grand challenges’ facing EU society and which are considered to be beyond the scope and resources of any one country to tackle.
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are debilitating and largely untreatable conditions strongly linked with age. Among these disorders, dementias are responsible for the greatest burden of disease, with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders affecting over seven million people in Europe, and this figure is expected to double every 20 years as the population ages across Europe. It currently costs approximately €130 billion per year (approximately £108 billion) to care for people with dementia, highlighting age-related neurodegenerative disease as one of the leading medical and societal challenges faced by EU society.
Dr Rob Buckle, Head of Neurosciences and Mental Health at the Medical Research Council, said: “The growing burden of dementias and other neurodegenerative disorders requires new approaches to treatment and prevention, and the MRC is increasing investment in UK neurodegeneration research. Working in partnership with European and other international partners ensures there will be no unnecessary duplication of effort and will increase the overall impact of funding in this area.”
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said: “I am delighted to welcome this common strategy, agreed under this unprecedented collaborative initiative in research, to channel participating countries’ scientific competencies, medical strengths and social approaches to tackle this important challenge. The JPND strategy can not only make research efforts more effective in the area of neurodegenerative diseases but can also have very wide benefits for society, health and the research community in Europe.”
Professor Philippe Amouyel, Chair of the JPND Management Board, said: “This common research strategy will guide research activity and investments in the field of neurodegenerative diseases over the coming decade in Europe. The ultimate goal is to undertake research that can be translated into new interventions that improve the health and wellbeing of patients with neurodegenerative diseases and their families and carers, and that delivers economic and societal benefit throughout the European Union.”
The strategy sets out the common vision of the 25 European countries involved, spanning biomedical, health and socio-economic research, and follows extensive consultations with key opinion leaders and stakeholder communities. The research priorities will be addressed within the next ten years through a range of long-term initiatives, the first of which is expected to begin in 2012.
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Notes to editors
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1. Joint Programming is a new collaborative approach in which countries define a common vision and a strategic research agenda, in order to address major societal challenges which are beyond the scale of any national research programme. The Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) was established as the pilot for this new type of coordinated approach to research. (Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and social committee and the Committee of the Regions toward Joint Programming in Research : Working together to tackle common challenges more effectively - COM(2008) 468 final, Brussels http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/docs/en/ec-joint-programming-6.pdf )
2. The JPND strategy entitled Tackling the Challenge of Alzheimer’s and other Neurodegenerative Diseases in Europe addresses the full spectrum of research activity that is required to tackle the growing burden of these diseases for the next decade and beyond. It identifies research priorities to address the broad challenges for research into the cause, cure and care of neurodegenerative diseases.
3. The strategy is based on the recommendations of the JPND Scientific Advisory Board which constitutes fifteen of the very best scientists and physicians from the research areas related to neurodegenerative diseases. Extensive consultations with over 140 scientists and multiple stakeholder communities were also conducted and recommendations were validated through a broad public consultation. Research priorities identified in the strategy include investigating the origins of neurodegenerative disease; studying disease mechanisms and models; exploring disease definitions and diagnosis; developing therapies, preventive strategies and interventions; improving healthcare and social care.
The goals of the European-wide strategy are;
• To develop new treatments and preventive strategies
• To improve health and social care approaches
• To raise awareness and de-stigmatise Alzheimer’s and other Neurodegenerative disorders
• To alleviate the economic and social burden of these diseases
• JPND is working to implement these goals through;
• building capacity in excellent basic, clinical and healthcare/social research
• coordinating and aligning European and national research activities
• translating research evidence into clinical, social and public health practice partnering with industry, patient, carer and health service stakeholders, and decision makers
