National register and $38m war chest to give boost in fight against dementia

A WORLD-first national network of dementia researchers and doctors is being launched Monday, backed by the federal government’s largest single investment in research into the disease.

EVERY Australian diagnosed with dementia will be placed on a national registry to track their care and outcomes, as part of a $38 million war chest to accelerate the development of prevention and treatments for incurable brain diseases.

A world-first national network of dementia researchers and doctors is being launched Monday, backed by the federal government’s largest single investment in dementia research in Australia, to fast-track better care and research into cures for the 425,000 Australians ­living with the progressive condition.

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A key project of the Melbourne-led Australian Dementia Network is to recruit 4000 people — both those who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and those who are yet to show symptoms — who stand ready to take part in trials of new treatments.

Principle investigator Professor Christopher Rowe, from Austin Health and the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, said this would give researchers and drug companies a three-year head start on testing promising drugs, as it now took that long to recruit participants for trials.

An Alzheimer's sufferer undergoes a scan.

“There is worldwide recognition that trials need to be faster,” Prof Rowe said.

“This network will improve the quality of care and diagnosis of people with dementia in Australia. It will speed the development of new therapies through the clinical trials program. We desperately need people still developing new treatments, and this will have the platform ready for them to test those treatments quickly.”

Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt said the federal government’s $18 million investment in the project through the Boosting Dementia Research Initiative was backed by a further $20 million from universities, philanthropists and state governments.

“This is the accelerator we need to win the race against dementia,” Mr Wyatt said. “It’s estimated 1700 Australians a week are joining the population living with dementia and without breakthroughs in beating this disease, that figure will reach 650 a day by 2050.”

Minister for Aged Care Ken Wyatt. Picture: AAP

Prof Rowe said the network would also set up a national network of memory clinics to speed up the time to diagnosis, while the clinical quality register of patients will be analysed with the aim of uncovering causes, progression and potential new therapies.

“The quality of the accuracy of the diagnosis will be the first thing looked at, what investigations they’ve had and whether they’re getting appropriate medications and services,” he said. “Patients will be followed up every couple of years, with that data fed back to their treating doctor to compare to national benchmarks.

“It’s also going to feed back to governments and health networks to make sure they’re doing best practice and identifying areas of need.”

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