(L-R) Glyn Davies MP, Vijaya Khaitan, Baroness Anita Gale Professor David Dexter and Dr Djordje Gveric from the UK Brain Bank
Glyn Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, visited Imperial College in London last Tuesday (15 October) to see first-hand the innovative work on neurological diseases at the UK ‘Brain Bank’.
Glyn, who is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Parkinson’s, was particularly inspired by the research that the Brain Bank does to improve treatments, and ultimately find a cure for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Motor Neurone Disease and Multiple Sclerosis. He was given a guided tour of the research lab, which included a live brain dissection and briefings about the work currently being done to find a cure for neurological diseases.
The Brain Bank is the UK’s largest brain bank dedicated to Parkinson’s disease. The hospital collects the brain and spinal cord from people with and without the condition. The tissue is then supplied free of charge to researchers all over the world and has already led to major breakthroughs in the understanding of diseases of the brain.
Speaking about his visit to the Brain Bank, Glyn Davies MP said:
“My visit to the Brain Bank was very informative. Tackling conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Motor Neurone Disease and Multiple Sclerosis is a priority if we are to cope with the huge pressures on the NHS and the care demands of an ageing population.
“At present the brain donation system is simply not good enough, with most of the money raised for research coming from voluntary donation. This is a big issue because as the human life span increases, cases of neurodegeneration increase exponentially.
“If we are to make progress in developing cures for neurodegenerative conditions, we must carry on striving to raise the resources that are needed and deserved.”
