A landmark collaboration between MDRF in Chennai, CBR at Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru and the UK DRI in the UK will investigate how diabetes influences brain ageing, cognitive decline and dementia integrating large clinical, imaging, genomic and proteomic datasets.
Glimpse:
The three-way partnership aims to probe why people with diabetes face higher risks of cognitive impairment and dementia. With diabetes now recognised as a brain health risk factor, this initiative will help identify early biomarkers and pathways linking metabolic disease with neurodegeneration, and potentially enable preventive strategies.
In one of India’s most ambitious health-research initiatives, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) in Chennai has signed MoUs with the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at IISc Bengaluru and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI). The collaboration targets the growing evidence that diabetes does more than harm the heart, kidneys or eyes it may accelerate brain ageing, drive earlier onset of dementia and impair cognitive function.
During recent epidemiological work, MDRF highlighted that individuals with diabetes have approximately 1.25 to 1.9 times higher risk of cognitive disorders compared to non-diabetics of the same age. The new research will assemble comprehensive data combining diabetes duration, glycaemic control, lifestyle factors, brain imaging, fluid biomarkers, genomics and proteomics in multi-centre cohorts across India and the UK.
CBR’s expertise in brain-ageing, neuroimaging and neuro-degeneration will integrate with MDRF’s metabolic and diabetes research strength, and UK DRI’s global dementia research network. The joint effort is designed to:
- Identify early brain-ageing markers in people with diabetes
- Understand mechanisms by which hyperglycaemia, insulin resistance or vascular damage lead to cognitive decline
- Explore whether improved metabolic control can slow or reverse brain changes
- Create predictive models that flag high-risk individuals for early intervention
The partnership also emphasises translation: findings may shape routine screening of brain health in diabetes clinics, guide lifestyle or therapeutic interventions, and inform public-health policy. As Dr V. Mohan (Chairman, MDRF) noted: “Diabetes affects not just the body but also the brain.”
This initiative underscores a paradigm shift from treating diabetes solely as a metabolic disease to viewing it as a systemic condition with neurological consequences. With dementia prevalence rising and diabetes already highly prevalent in India, the timing of this research is critical
“Through multi-disciplinary expertise and diverse datasets, we aim to uncover early markers of brain ageing in people with diabetes this could pave the way for preventive and therapeutic breakthroughs.”
By
HB Team
