“A man is as old as his arteries.” THOMAS SYDENHAM (1624–1689)
The vascular system ages just like the rest of our tissues and organs. Vascular ageing can lead to a whole range of conditions including two deadly, but all too common conditions – dementia and cardiovascular disease.
Australia’s older generation will DOUBLE by 2057. Right now, 55 million people worldwide suffer from dementia but by 2050, 150 million will live with the disease. That’s around 10 million more every year. Dementia is the leading cause of death in women and the second leading cause for the whole Australian population. 1 in 2 of us will be affected by dementia; either by suffering from it ourselves, caring for someone with the disease – or, tragically – both.
Georgia (pictured) was diagnosed with dementia two years ago.
Georgia has led a joy-filled and exciting life, bringing happiness as a mother, wife, colleague and friend. Sadly, dementia has taken away many of the things Georgia used to love. These days her happiest moments are having dinner every Friday with her grandchildren around her and her beloved dog ‘Easy’ by her side. Georgia is about to start a new drug intended to help with her dementia but it is unlikely to help at her age of 75. Development of more innovative therapies is desperately needed. You can make that development happen.
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Georgia’s husband Michael
“She has good days and bad days. Today she has lost the plot – she even asked what relation Alex [her son] was to us this morning.” -
Georgia’s son Alex
… “And yet when I took her to the Elton John concert last month, she sang along to every single word.” -
Georgia’s husband Michael
“It’s good though – she can still walk Easy and find her way home by herself – but then she’ll call me four or five times to tell me she’s home. I fear the day Easy dies maybe most of all”.
Our researchers attack disease from many angles – but they all aim at the basic science underlying them. It is suggested by our vascular scientists like Professor Gamble and Dr Qi that a whole range of diseases can be alleviated by looking at this root cause – vascular ageing. Will you please support this work with a special gift today?
How we are fighting vascular ageing
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Professor Jennifer Gamble
Professor Gamble has discovered that when the cells which line every blood vessel in your body age, they allow that same protein to “leak” into the wall of the vessel. The cells ‘wrinkle’ (just like your face) which means that the protein can move through the gaps. But through cutting-edge research, Professor Gamble is starting to identify drugs which can ‘tighten up’ these cells so that the leaks – and the dementia – can be stopped at a much earlier stage. With further testing, treatment has the potential to prevent the heartache Michael has faced and thousands like him – maybe even for someone you know. -
Dr Jacob Qi
Dr Qi has discovered that as our cells grow old, they dramatically increase in size. As they get bigger and bigger, the membrane which surrounds them must also grow larger. This needs a supply of fat from within the cell. If the supply of fat is stopped, the cells cannot ‘super-size’ and by definition cannot ‘age’. This discovery is extremely exciting and has increased our commitment to healthy ageing – living better in our final years. Dr Qi’s work is key but still at a very early stage. He has however already started work on looking for a drug which can stop this fat transport in your blood vessels. He has seen promising early results. He has been able to reduce the fat transport and reduce inflammation of the artery by an amazing 69%.
It has been suggested that the common cause of these diseases – vascular ageing – means that if it does not affect you in the ‘cardiovascular disease years’, then sadly it may do so in ‘the dementia years’. Only you can stop this – with your generous support of research. Your gift will work toward a future without dementia or cardiovascular disease.