Angus Grant, CEO of the Dementia Discovery Fund, was featured in the 2019 edition of AARP International’s The Journal. In an article titled ‘Tackling Dementia by Investing in Translational Medicine’, Angus comments on the enormous global healthcare challenge posed by the rising prevalence of dementia. He also discusses the urgent need for well-funded innovative approaches to develop effective treatment options for patients. Access to funding for dementia research can be difficult. As the first ever venture capital fund to specialize in dementia, the DDF combines the essential venture capital experience and scientific rigor required to bring innovative research from the laboratory into the clinic. With this unique approach, the DDF is well positioned to diversify the dementia therapeutic landscape in order to bring new treatment options to the patients and families suffering from the burden of dementia.
Tackling Dementia by Investing in Translational Medicine By Angus J. Grant
The challenge posed by dementia is enormous. The World Health Organization predicts the number of people living with dementia around the world will increase from 50 million in 2018 to 150 million by 2050. In the United States. the number of people with dementia is projected to rise from 5.7 million to 14 million over the same period. These forecasts are alarming - and they should be.
The concern is not only because dementia is a cruel disease that robs people of their abilities, personality, and dignity, but also because it creates a significant burden for families and society. Dementia can last for years, and providing the necessary care for those with this condition is difficult and costly...
Read the full article (page 36) here
About the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF)
The DDF is a venture capital fund which invests in projects and companies to discover and develop novel, effective disease-modifying therapeutics for dementia. Seven leading pharmaceutical companies (Biogen, Eli Lilly and Company, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Otsuka (Astex), Pfizer and Takeda), AARP, Aegon, Bill Gates, British Patient Capital, NFL Players Association, Quest Diagnostics, UnitedHealth Group, Woodford Investment Management via Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT), the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care and charity Alzheimer’s Research UK among others have invested in the DDF. Heads of Neuroscience represent many of these strategic investors on the DDF Scientific Advisory Board and work closely with SV’s dedicated team of neuroscientists and experts to identify and evaluate novel approaches for the treatment of dementia. SV won the bid to become Manager in a competitive selection process held in 2015. www.theddfund.com
