
Three Australian research teams have been granted $1.5 million to explore the causes of dementia with their Japanese counterparts.
Funded by the country’s leading expert body in health and medical research – the National Health and Medical Research Council – the teams will collaborate with Japanese partners to increase the understanding of dementia and to improve health outcomes for people living with the condition, which has become the second cause of death in Australia.

The funding will enable the researchers to build international networks and to develop long-term careers in the field of dementia research, said NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso.
“Australia is a global leader in dementia research and these grants provide new opportunities for our newest and brightest scientists to collaborate with researchers in Japan on the shared challenge of dementia.”
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Japan has the highest prevalence of dementia (2.3 per cent of the population) among the 38 OECD countries.
The Australian researchers leading the three projects are:
- Dr Chien-Hsiung Yu from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the University of Melbourne
- Dr Yijun Pan, also from the Florey Institute
- Dr Quan Huynh from the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.

Dr Yu will work will researchers from Tohoku University and Niigata University to investigate how tau protein build-up triggers neuron death in the brain and develop therapies for preventing the build-up.

Dr Pan will work with researchers from Tohoku University and the National Centre for Geriatrics and Gerontology to study modifiable risk factors for people living with vascular or frontotemporal dementia with the aim of improving the quality of life for people living with dementia.

Meanwhile, Dr Huynh will work with collaborators from Gunma University and Shinshu University to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a model of care that will enable healthcare professionals to screen patients with cognitive impairment and heart failure with the goal of reducing the risk of dementia and cardiovascular events.

“With dementia now the second leading cause of death in Australia, projects like these are critical,” said Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells. “Investing in understanding the causes of dementia and the potential to delay its onset will benefit all Australians.”
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates almost 400,000 people in Australia are currently living with dementia – a figure that will more than double by 2058.
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