HEALTHIER
Lifesaving research made possible through BRACE funding
HEALTHIER
Lifesaving research made possible through BRACE funding
The University of Exeter is proud to continue our collaboration with the research charity BRACE, which supports vital research into various forms of dementia. Our partnership has successfully funded several international placements, PhD positions, and postdoctoral opportunities for students eager to contribute to lifesaving science.
Professor Katie Lunnon, Professor in Dementia Genomics and Dr Adam Smith, Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
BRACE has generously donated over £500k to the University, supporting individuals like Dr Adam Smith, who credits BRACE with ‟making his career”. As a member of Professor Katie Lunnon’s team, which focuses on understanding the basis of dementia within the Complex Disease Epigenetics Group, Adam’s PhD studentship funded by BRACE allowed him to launch his research career in this vital field. Now that he has successfully completed his PhD, he is excelling as a postdoctoral fellow in Katie’s lab and is developing independent dementia research projects.
The impact of BRACE funding is also evident in the PROTECT study, conducted by the University of Exeter and King’s College London in partnership with the NHS. This study focuses on cognitive health in aging and aims to identify early signs of risk and potential intervention strategies. By engaging an online research cohort, PROTECT has been collecting crucial data to enhance our understanding of how healthy brains age and why some individuals develop dementia.
BRACE recently funded two new PhD studentships within Clinical and Biomedical Sciences and the Living Systems Institute to support essential research into Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The award to the Living Systems team will fund research into the communication of nerve cells and their degeneration relating to Alzheimer’s disease. PhD recipient, Antonio Fusciardi says, ‟Support from BRACE has given me an amazing opportunity to pursue my interest in Alzheimer’s research with Dr Akshay Bhinge. This PhD has helped me enhance my practical skills and contribute to the scientific community’s understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. I am very grateful for the chance to significantly assist in Alzheimer’s research, which wouldn’t be possible without BRACE’s generosity”.
“This opportunity has driven me to want to do similar trips in the future, whereby I will be able to use all the skills I will have developed as a doctor to help more people around the world.”
Bursary recipient, Daisy Price, who undertook an elective in Jaipur, India.
Katie and Adam discuss BRACE’s transformative support: