To better understand how dementia develops in Asians and to advance new strategies that will one day help to predict and delay the progression of the disease, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has launched the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore).

The research centre at NTU Singapore’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) will work with hospitals here to recruit 1,500 patients with mild cognitive impairment, the earliest stage of dementia, to shed light on ‘Asian dementia’ and capture the changes in the brain before dementia sets in.

Aside from this five-year longitudinal study- Biomarker and Cognitive Impairment Study (BioCIS), the research centre will also work with NTU’s computer scientists and mechanical engineers to develop artificial intelligence-powered diagnostic solutions, such as using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to help clinicians accurately predict or assess dementia progression.

The research centre is headed by its Director, NTU LKCMedicine’s Associate Professor of Neuroscience Nagaendran Kandiah. The team is advised by a panel of renowned neuroscientists from Canada, Australia, and the UK.