Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) has entered a landmark collaboration with Centre for Brain Research (CBR)-Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) to investigate how diabetes influences brain ageing, cognitive decline and dementia combining large-scale clinical, imaging, genomic and proteomic data.
Glimpse:
This collaboration brings together an Indian diabetes-research leader, a premier neuroscience centre and a top UK dementia institute to explore the critical nexus between metabolic disease and brain health. The aim is to identify early biomarkers, mechanisms and intervention strategies that link diabetes with cognitive impairment, thereby opening pathways for prevention and translational medicine.
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In a major international research initiative, the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), based in Chennai, has signed memoranda of understanding with the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI).
The partnership is designed to unpack the complex relationship between diabetes and the brain a field increasingly recognised as critical given the rising global prevalence of diabetes and dementia. MDRF’s Chairman, V. Mohan, noted that individuals with diabetes face significantly higher risks of cognitive disorders and dementia, and that the brain has been an under-explored target of metabolic disease.
Under this collaboration, the organisations will adopt a multidisciplinary strategy: gathering large cohorts of individuals with diabetes and pre-diabetes, conducting brain imaging, biomarker analysis, genomics/proteomics profiling, cognitive testing, and longitudinal follow-up. CBR and UK DRI will contribute their expertise in neurodegeneration, imaging and biomarker science, while MDRF will bring its deep experience in diabetes epidemiology, clinical data and metabolic research.
A key goal is to identify early markers of brain ageing in people with diabetes possibly 10-20 years before overt cognitive decline and to determine whether tighter glycaemic/metabolic control, lifestyle interventions or novel therapies can mitigate brain damage. MDRF says that while eye, kidney and nerve complications of diabetes are routinely screened, cognitive impairment remains under-diagnosed in the diabetes clinic and needs systemic attention.
“This collaboration marks a milestone in our journey to understand how diabetes affects not just the body but also the brain.”
By
HB Team
