Exploring New Frontiers in Childhood Dementia Research: Visit to Dundee University’s Drug Discovery Unit
Recently the SDRC was invited on behalf of Childhood Dementia Scotland to the Dundee University Drug Discovery Unit (DDU). Our delegation met with leading scientists from Dundee, including Mahmood Ahmed, Mike Ashford, Charlotte Green, Alessio Ciulli, Will Farnaby, Peter Cossar, and Mike Ferguson to explore innovative approaches for research into childhood dementias.
What is Childhood Dementia?
Childhood dementia is caused by a devastating group of over 145 genetic, metabolic and neurodegenerative conditions that result in progressive brain damage in children, leading to the loss of cognitive and physical abilities, and ultimately premature death. In Scotland, a baby is born every three to four weeks with a disorder that causes childhood dementia. Half of these children will die before their 10th birthday. Despite its profound impact, and perhaps due to the breadth of symptoms, childhood dementia remains largely invisible to the public, professionals, and policymakers.
You can find out more in the Childhood Dementia in Scotland 2025 report, published in December 2025.
Delegates of Childhood Dementia Scotland at the DDU lab. Courtesy of Suzie Beresford
Childhood Dementia Scotland at the Drug Discovery Unit
Our meeting began with introductions, in which we both learned about each others’ work and priorities.
The Drug Discovery Unit translates world-class biology research into novel drug targets to address unmet medical needs. Childhood Dementia Scotland is a collaborative partnership set up by Alzheimer Scotland in 2024 which aims to raise awareness of childhood dementia, advocates at policy level and encourages greater investment in research. While there are no cures for childhood dementia, there is hope for treatments and targets for these treatments. Discussions around this was the priority for the meeting.
In the afternoon of the meeting, we were kindly offered a tour of some of DDU’s labs. It was fascinating to learn about the everyday work of researchers and to see the extent to which different disciplines of researcher, particularly between biology and chemistry, work closely together. It made clear how the process of identifying a target through to developing a successful drug works in the lab.
Later in the day, we heard from Alessio Ciulli about the Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD) and its pioneering work on new drug modalities. Insights from the Cancer Grand Challenges “KOODAC” team, which focuses on childhood cancers, underscored the importance of patient advocacy and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Following all these discussions there was a clear consensus that the conditions which lead to childhood dementia, while rare, are tractable. Their shared molecular mechanisms could make them attractive for proof-of-concept trials, potentially accelerating therapies for both rare and common neurodegenerative diseases.
We concluded the day by looking to the future, focussing on how we can turn these ideas into a reality. The priority is to access funding, and we will continue to engage with funding bodies to encourage them to include childhood dementias in its portfolio. We will also explore partnerships with organisations that support translational research in rare diseases.
A photo of the DDU lab. Courtesy of Suzie Beresford
Next Steps
Thank you so much to the Drug Discovery Unit in Dundee for inviting Childhood Dementia Scotland to visit you. It was wonderful to see that the infrastructure and immense talent exist in Scotland to develop potential treatments for childhood dementia. Together, we can continue to innovate and towards our shared aim attracting investment building on this momentum to create meaningful change for families affected by these conditions.