Bill Gates to invest $50 million to advance research towards a cure for Alzheimer’s

In a statement and video, the philanthropist highlights the urgency to make progress in our understanding of the causes of dementia, as numbers of people affected globally are on the rise.

In addition to boosting research into the underlying causes of the disease, Gates identifies four other priority areas that need attention, including improving dementia diagnosis and participation in clinical trials, bringing new ideas and theories into the field, and using the power of big data to speed up research progress.

Jeremy Hughes, CEO of Alzheimer’s Society said:

'Alzheimer’s Society wholeheartedly welcomes Bill Gates’ significant personal investment to advancing research into Alzheimer’s disease. This will not only speed up the progress we make towards finding a cure, but his attention to the cause will also help to eliminate the negative stigma that still exists around dementia to help create a better world for the 50 million people globally who are living with the condition today. Gates’ support has already had a positive impact on research being conducted into other diseases so we are delighted that he is now personally uniting in the fight against dementia.'

'In the 1970’s President Nixon launched a war against cancer that ignited research investment and collaboration across the globe. Today more people survive cancer than die from it and with sufficient investment in dementia research we know the same tremendous progress will be possible for people and families affected by dementia too. With Bill Gates now joining all those already united against dementia, there is new hope for advances in the care and cure of dementia.'

Read Bill Gate's blog for more information.