National dementia research and development project

ABSTRACT

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea have organized the first National Committee for Dementia Research, to which all domestic experts in the field have been invited as they endeavor to achieve ‘national dementia liability’, which is one of the core national agenda items of the current Korean government. To make this initiative sustainable and bring dementia under control, we should not focus only on providing care and economic support to the family of patients with dementia. Instead, a large-scale, long-term research and development (R&D) strategy for dementia prevention, diagnosis, and therapy is warranted. This R&D project comprises several parts 1) elucidation of the etiology and prevention of dementia, 2) innovative diagnostics for dementia, 3) tailored therapies for dementia, and 4) tangible and effective care for dementia. Given the fact that dementia is a very heterogeneous condition involving multiple pathogenic factors and typically having a chronic disease course, comprehensive and integrated approaches across various disciplines should be explored for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of this disease. With the success of this R&D project, the national dementia liability system will gain momentum and come into its own. Integrated efforts in terms of both policyrelated and scientific initiatives would allow us to take a step closer to realizing our shared goal of living in a world of dementia carefree.