MAJOR AUSTRALIAN ALZHEIMER’S STUDY LAUNCHED

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MAJOR AUSTRALIAN ALZHEIMER’S STUDY LAUNCHED
28 April 2007 - CSIRO

A major Australian study to better understand the devastating and deadly Alzheimer’s disease is being launched in Melbourne. The $10 million Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing has brought together leading Australian researchers for a three-year study to improve our understanding of the causes and diagnosis of the disease, to examine lifestyle and diet factors that may influence the onset of Alzheimer’s and to help develop preventative strategies.

Every week about 1000 Australians are diagnosed with dementia, a disease which costs Australia $6.6 billion annually. About 80 per cent of dementia is caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

According to research by Access Economics the number of Australians with dementia is rising and is expected to exceed 730,000 (2.8 per cent of the projected population) by 2050.

The AIBL study will be launched at Neurosciences Australia by the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing.

It will be one of the world’s largest studies of its type involving Positron Emission Tomography scans using Pittsburgh Compound-B, a PET amyloid-imaging agent. The scans are used to show differences between the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and healthy volunteers.

A thousand volunteers aged 60 years and over will be needed for the study, with 600 participants sought in Victoria and 400 in WA. Participants will range from healthy people with no known genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease through to people diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer’s disease.

“Alzheimer's Australia in Victoria and Alzheimer’s Australia WA are assisting with recruitment of people for the study. ”The study was established by the CSIRO-led Preventative Health National Research Flagship, land involves Edith Cowan University, the University of Melbourne, Neurosciences Australia and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.

It is one of seven collaborative research clusters established this year as part of the $97 million Flagship Collaboration Fund announced by the Australian Government as part of its support for the National Research Flagships program.

The fund aims to further enhance collaboration between CSIRO, Australian universities and other publicly funded research agencies to apply the skills of the wider research community to the major national challenges facing Australia.

Alzheimer's Australia in Victoria and Alzheimer’s Australia WA are assisting with recruitment of people for the study.

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