Sheffield researchers taking action against dementia get £50k boost

Dr Matthew Livesey and Dr Ryan West from the University of Sheffield are set to receive £50,000 to support their work looking at the toxic proteins involved in frontotemporal dementia. The funding from Alzheimer’s Research UK comes during Dementia Action Week (16-20 May) as part of a £2 million package of new research funding right across the UK.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a relatively rare form of dementia, usually affecting people under 65, often causing personality and behavioural changes.

Many factors contribute to someone’s risk of develop FTD, with genetics playing a particularly important role. The most common genetic cause of FTD is a change, called a mutation, in a gene known as C9ORF72. This mutation causes proteins called ‘dipeptide-repeats’ to clump up in the brain, ultimately leading to a loss of brain nerve cells.

This new funding from Alzheimer’s Research UK will allow Dr Matthew Livesey and Dr Ryan West at the University of Sheffield to shed more light on this process.

They will look at the physical structure and health of nerve cells in fruit flies that produce these dipeptide repeats and observe the cells’ electrical signals. They will then compare this to people living with FTD.

Dr Matthew Livesey from the University of Sheffield said:

“This Alzheimer’s Research UK pilot project aims to give insight into what physiological processes are disrupted by the build-up of toxic repeats sequences in the brain. “Fruit flies are well suited for this type of study as around 75% of the disease-causing genes in people are also found in flies. Their short life span also means we can look at how the activity of genes change over time as the flies age, speeding up the research process. “This will increase our understanding of the causes of frontotemporal dementia and could identify potential new targets for treatments.”

Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

“Dementia affects nearly one million people in the UK including around 60,000 in Yorkshire alone. The condition is not an inevitable part of getting older but the result of diseases that damage the brain. Pioneering research underway in Sheffield is helping to unpick the complex causes of frontotemporal dementia and driving progress towards new treatments for people living with the condition. “This Dementia Action Week it’s not only researchers that can make a difference when it comes to dementia research. We urgently need people living with the condition and also healthy volunteers to sign up to take part in vital research studies. To register your interest and Join Dementia Research you can call our team on 0300 111 5111 or email