The Liberal National Government will support our older Australians and our ageing population with a $185 million medical research package focused on ageing, aged care and dementia.
The 10-year Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission is funded through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) and its focus will include:
- Dementia (diagnosis, treatment and prevention)
- Fall prevention and avoidable hospitalisations
- Assistive technology to support independence
The Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research at the Queensland Brain Institute will be the first recipient of the mission with $10 million for dementia research.
The funding will go to a team led by Director Professor Jürgen Götz who have found that ultrasound can remove Alzheimer’s disease (the most common type of dementia) pathology and restore memory function in animal models.
This funding will be used to develop this discovery into a promising treatment technology, with clinical trials in late 2019.
The goal is to produce a portable scanning ultrasound device, capable of being used across the country, including in regional clinic settings.
In Australia, there are an estimated 420,000 people living with dementia. There is currently no cure and existing medications only treat symptoms, without halting or reversing the underlying neurodegeneration.
Without a medical breakthrough, the number of Australians living with dementia is expected to increase to almost 1.1 million by 2056.
The need for investment in research to develop new treatments and to improve dementia care is evident.
We’re committed to ensuring Australians of all ages have access to the support they need to face life’s challenges.
Our Government is able to provide unprecedented levels of support to health and medical research because of our strong economic management.
The MRFF is an endowment fund, which will mature at $20 billion, providing a sustainable source of funding for vital medical research.
It is the single largest boost in health and medical research funding in Australia’s history.
