The world's dementia research community will gather next week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. At this global event, scientists, medical specialists, caregivers, advocates, and people with lived experience from Canada and abroad will discuss dementia science and how to improve the prevention, treatment, and care for dementia, a condition that, as of 2022-23, affects almost 487,000 Canadians aged 65 and older-and more than 57 million people worldwide.
At a research showcase highlighting Canada's leadership in this field, Maggie Chi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health, announced $39.4 million in funding from the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to advance research on dementia and healthy aging. The funding is part of the CIHR Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Initiative. An additional $5.4 million is provided by partners, the Azrieli Foundation and its Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, the Brain Canada Foundation, and Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council, bringing the total investment to $44.8 million.
This investment will support the following components:
- Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA): $40.3M for the CCNA Operations Centre and 16 new research teams from across Canada that will study prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care for people with dementia and their caregivers. Two international teams, co-funded by Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council, will research dementia in Indigenous populations in Canada and Australia.
- Brain Health Care (BHCare) and Support in Aging Training Platform: $2.4 million to support the BHCare training platform that will foster the development of the next generation of scientists, clinicians, policy leaders, advocates, and administrators working in brain health.
- Brain Health Resources and Integrated Diversity (BRAID) Hub: $2.1 million to support the BRAID Hub, a national knowledge mobilization hub that translates evidence-based guidelines into accessible education, tools, and supports.
