A University of Dundee researcher has been awarded £125,000 to investigate why women are around twice as likely as men to develop Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia worldwide.
Dr Amy Lloyd is one of 55 early career researchers across the UK to have benefited from the £6.7 million funding from the Academy of Medical Sciences as part of its flagship Springboard programme.
While more than 50 million people globally are affected by Alzheimer’s, the biological reasons for this remain poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that differences in how the immune system interacts with the brain, influenced by sex hormones such as oestrogen, play a key role. Risk rises sharply after the menopause, when oestrogen levels decline.
Dr Lloyd, Race Against Dementia/Alzheimer’s Research UK Fellow at the University’s Faculty of Life Sciences, will use human stem cells from male and female donors to create advanced models to examine how immune responses and brain cell health differ between males and females.
This includes under pre- and post-menopause conditions and the findings could help identify new therapeutic targets and inform future approaches to reducing risk or improving treatment for women.
She said, “The Springboard award will enable me to address critical, yet underexplored questions surrounding women’s health in neurodegenerative diseases. As an early career researcher, this support is pivotal in accelerating the development of my independent research programme, providing me with the resources needed to establish and grow my lab.
“It will also allow me to generate high-quality data, build collaborations, and position myself as a leading expert in the neurodegeneration field. I am extremely grateful for this award and am excited for the future of my lab and its research.”
Now in its eleventh year, Springboard supports researchers at a critical point in their careers, when many are establishing laboratories for the first time and need the freedom to explore ambitious questions.
The grants support curiosity-driven, discovery-stage research – the foundational science that underpins future treatments and interventions. The awards enable researchers to take their first steps as independent group leaders, testing bold ideas with the potential to improve lives, reduce health inequalities and strengthen the UK’s long-term research base.
With support from the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Wellcome and the British Heart Foundation, this year’s awards span the full breadth of biomedical and health research. Together, these projects aim to help people to live healthier lives, reduce health inequalities and strengthen the UK’s ability to prevent and respond to future health emergencies.
UK Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said, “To tackle cruel diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and chronic pain, and ultimately save lives, we must help researchers to take their ambitious discovery-stage work to the next level.
“This support is backing researchers at a stage where attracting commercial investment can be a challenge and builds on the Government’s record investment in research – unlocking more discoveries that benefit people across the UK and beyond.”
Professor James Naismith, Vice President (Non-Clinical) at the Academy of Medical Sciences, added, “The transition to research leadership is one of the most challenging stages in a research career, yet it is also when creativity is often at its strongest.
“Springboard invests in people at the moment when bold ideas begin to take shape, providing the freedom, confidence and backing researchers need to strike out on their own and ask big questions.
“The projects announced today show the impact this approach can have – demonstrating how early support can translate into meaningful benefits for patients, communities and the wider health system.”
Photograph of Dr Amy Lloyd. Credit - University of Dundee.jpg