What we do
BRACE funds world class clinical and laboratory research into Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia to find better treatments, achieve earlier diagnosis and one day, a cure.
BRACE stands out as an important charity with a unique role. Founded in 1987 by people whose families were affected by the disease, BRACE was drumming up support for dementia research long before the news broadcasts were full of dementia stories and a consensus formed that answers were needed urgently.
The challenge we face is that dementia research remains troublingly underfunded. Dementia research receives 5 times less funding than cancer research (2019) despite Alzheimer's and other types of dementia, being the number one killer in the UK.
BRACE is a regional charity, supporting researchers in South West England and South Wales. Its area of benefit is global, and it increasingly attracts donations and help from supporters around the UK and abroad.
Our three main aims are to help:
- provide the means by which medical science comes to understand what causes dementia in its various forms.
- achieve earlier diagnosis of dementia, thereby giving new treatments and knowledge of prevention more time to make a difference.
- find new and more powerful treatments, and ultimately a cure.
Real progress has been made in the past 30 years, and we could be on the brink of significant breakthroughs in our understanding of the causes of dementia and our ability to treat patients.
BRACE’s role often involves funding pilot projects and other initiatives that fall outside the policy guidelines of other funders but which are subsequently found to be worth every penny. It also provides core costs for key clinical and laboratory teams in Bristol, helping to create the stability that long-term success depends on.
One of the senior scientists in the region described BRACE as a ‘Heineken charity’, refreshing the parts that other charities don’t reach!
Our policy of funding research only within a region of the UK is a sensible policy for a charity which does not have the financial or staff resources of the big funders. It has also enabled us to help build up a strong network of research across this part of the country.
However, our area of benefit is the whole human race – anyone, anywhere who might one day develop dementia.
Information can also be found on the: BRACE page on the Charity Commission website.
Last updated Oct 2024
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