Takeda, Dundee and Cambridge reunite in the fight against Dementia

Dementia is a term used to cover a group of diseases that cause decline in cognitive function. There are several subtypes of dementia, each with its own unique symptoms and underlying causes. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia accounting for 60-70 percent of dementia cases. Almost one million people in the UK are estimated to be living with dementia, with an estimated cost of £25bn in 2021, and although disease-modifying treatments are now starting to be approved there is still great need for safe and effective medicines. The number of people affected are expected to increase dramatically in the coming decades, thus representing a vast and growing unmet medical need. 

This renewed collaboration between Professor David Gray at the Drug Discovery Unit, Dr Will McEwan at the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge and Takeda will continue to look for new drug-like molecules that could be taken into clinical development for Alzheimer’s Disease. 

Peter Maycox, Director, UK/European Territory CNS External Programs at Takeda, said, “We are excited to build and expand on our earlier collaboration with the University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit and Cambridge to develop drug discovery programs to target basic mechanisms associated with dementia.” 

No financial details are disclosed. 

The University of Dundee Drug Discovery Unit is a unique, completely integrated drug discovery facility established in 2006 to translate world-class biology research into novel medicines through innovation and collaboration. Housed within purpose-built facilities, the Unit has a full repertoire of professional, industry-standard expertise and the infrastructure required for preclinical small molecule drug discovery to bridge the gap between academic research and pharmaceutical development.