In recognition of World Alzheimer's Day on 21 September and World Alzheimer’s Month in September, we’re pleased to bring together relevant content from the Portland Press portfolio.

Professor Nigel Hooper, Associate Vice-President, Office of the President and Vice Chancellor at the University of Manchester and Chair of the Portland Press Board, highlights the importance of continued, multidisciplinary research into this area.

“Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, with nearly 1 million people in the UK living with dementia. In 2022, dementia was the leading cause of death across the UK and cost the UK £25 billion. Despite recent advances in drugs targeting amyloid, a key protein that builds up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, we are still a long way from having readily available drugs to halt, reverse or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Ongoing research is providing more information on this complex disease, and the interplay between the brain, heart, immune system, and even our microbiome. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that go awry in Alzheimer’s disease will provide additional targets for pharmaceutical intervention, identify readily accessible blood biomarkers for more refined diagnosis, and spotlight opportunities for disease prevention. On this World Alzheimer’s Day, we want to highlight the molecular bioscience research that is shedding light on this debilitating disease.”

Further reading 

• Inhibition of insulin-degrading enzyme in human neurons promotes amyloid-β deposition
• The complement system in neurodegenerative diseases
• Induced-pluripotent stem cells and neuroproteomics as tools for studying neurodegeneration
• Immune receptors and aging brain
• Astrocytes at the intersection of ageing, obesity, and neurodegeneration
• Amyloids and brain cancer: molecular linkages and crossovers