The Duchess of Edinburgh visited a dementia research laboratory founded by Formula 1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart.
Race Against Dementia was founded by Sir Jackie in 2016 after his wife Helen was diagnosed, to apply “an F1-mindset” to dementia research.
Sophie is the charity’s patron and visited its laboratory in Edinburgh, Edinburgh Neuroscience.
The charity unites scientists and industry leaders to “fuel fresh thinking and relentless innovation” to tackle the condition, which affects a third of adults in the UK.
Sophie toured the Dyson RAD Dementia Research Acceleration Project Lab, where Dr Claire Durrant and her team are investigating the causes and consequences of synapse loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr Durrant works with live human brain slice cultures – tiny pieces of brain tissue which would otherwise be discarded during routine neurosurgical procedures – and partners with Dyson engineers at the technology firm’s base in Wiltshire for further analysis.
Researchers demonstrated a high-powered multiphoton microscope, which captures detailed images of how Alzheimer’s affects brain cells in real time.
When even greater resolution is needed, specialist equipment at Dyson’s research and design centre in Wiltshire – normally focused on battery technology – is used to help analyse brain samples at the atomic and molecular level.
This partnership, forged by Race Against Dementia, brings industry expertise to the front line of dementia research, and along with funding their researchers receive training inspired by the high-performance mentality found in Formula 1.
Dr Durrant, Race Against Dementia-Dyson fellow, said: “Every three seconds, someone develops dementia.
“We’re working to close that gap – using live human brain cultures and advanced imaging to better understand how Alzheimer’s takes hold.
“The more we uncover, the better our chances of stopping this disease.”
Early findings suggest that even subtle shifts in amyloid beta peptides trigger synapse loss and prompt repair – insights set to be explored further in an upcoming research paper.
Sophie also met other Race Against Dementia-funded researchers, including Dr Bhuvaneish Slevaraj, Dr Fergus Doubal and Maija Pyykkonen, who are focused on repurposing existing drugs to treat frontotemporal dementia and vascular dementia.
The duchess was welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, councillor Robert Aldridge; Lydia Beaton, interim chief executive of Race Against Dementia and Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, vice-chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.
