The Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), Chennai, the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) have formalized a collaboration through separate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to advance research on the links between diabetes and brain health.
The partnership aims to combine expertise from the fields of diabetes, neuroscience, and dementia to investigate how metabolic disorders such as diabetes contribute to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The initiative will focus on large-scale studies, data sharing, and translational research to strengthen early detection and prevention approaches.
Dr. V. Mohan, Chairman of MDRF, said that the collaboration represents an important step toward understanding the broader impact of diabetes on brain function. Prof. Siddharthan Chandran, Director and Chief Executive of UK DRI, highlighted that studying the influence of metabolic disorders on brain health remains a key scientific challenge, and international collaborations are essential to accelerate progress in this area.
Prof. K. V. S. Hari, Director of CBR, IISc Bengaluru, noted that CBR’s ongoing research on brain ageing and neurodegenerative diseases complements this partnership. He added that integrating large-scale clinical, imaging, genomics, and proteomics data could help uncover pathways linking diabetes with cognitive health. The initiative is supported by the Pratiksha Trust.
