Oxford Mail:

Mary Cruse is the science communicator at the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron science facility at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus

Anyone who has been touched by dementia knows what a devastating condition it can be, both for sufferers and those caring for them.

While treatments do exist, we still don’t know exactly what triggers the disease and currently we can only delay the damage, not fix it.

Dementia is an umbrella term – it actually encompasses a number of different conditions. About 60 per cent of cases are linked to Alzheimer’s, but it can also be caused by HIV, type 1 diabetes, motor neurone disease and stroke.

And it’s strikingly common: approximately 850,000 people in the UK have dementia – a number that’s set to rise to two million by 2051.

But there is hope: scientists around the world are working towards a cure, and we’re constantly improving our understanding of the complex processes that drive dementia.

We now know that dementia occurs when the brain is damaged, most commonly through the rapid deterioration of brain cells.

This can be caused by a lack of blood to the brain or, more often, by a build-up of irregular proteins that lead to obstructions known as ‘plaques and tangles’.

These protein clumps get in the way of connections between brain cells and neurotransmitters so that messages get confused. This results in distressing symptoms, including memory loss, confusion, difficulty with everyday tasks and emotional problems.

Scientists are exploring ways to repair this damage or even prevent it altogether.

Gene therapy and stem cells could both be used to replace lost brain cells.

It may also be possible to develop a chemical compound that induces an immune reaction against protein clumps – this could act as a vaccine, preventing the brain damage that leads to dementia.

These potential breakthroughs are only feasible because of advanced technology that allows scientists to scrutinise processes at a molecular scale.

The proteins that aggregate in the brain are sometimes 10,000 times smaller than a pinhead, and scientists looking for new drugs have to understand virtually every detail of their structure and function.

In Oxfordshire, we have special facilities that allow scientists to scrutinise biological processes at this scale.

Research taking place at Diamond is helping us to demystify dementia and further the potential for targeted treatments.

Cellular transport networks can be an important factor in the development of neurodegenerative conditions.

Cells are like countries – different substances are produced in different parts of the cell and then moved to wherever they’re needed.

But sometimes these transport networks break down. This means that proteins that should be removed build up, leading to brain damage. Scientists are looking into how cellular transport networks function and why they fail. This could help us to create new drugs that keep the networks running and prevent protein aggregation.

Another area of interest is the toxicity of iron in the brain. Scientists have noted abnormal deposits of ferrous iron in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. This substance can destroy brain cells, but we’re not yet sure whether it’s a cause or symptom of the disease.

Using synchrotron light, scientists are looking to uncover the trigger for toxic iron build up.

This could help both to create drugs that prevent it forming and to develop MRI-based treatments that help to identify Alzheimer’s early, allowing faster intervention.

Dementia is a cruel and unforgiving disease, and it affects almost all of us in some way. But science is already helping us to fight back. There’s still a lot of work to do, but there’s so much potential – with the right support, science could beat dementia. And for all those affected, each small step forwards brings us closer to a better world.