“The President’s visit is a great honor for us. The DZNE brings together the best minds in various disciplines into one research organization. Our goal is to ensure that those persons concerned benefit from the results of our research as quickly as possible. At present, there are no effective substances that can cure neurodegenerative diseases,” said Prof. Pierluigi Nicotera, Scientific Director and Chairman of the DZNE’s Executive Board. “We are now one of the world’s leading centers in our area of research. One of the keys to our success is our close cooperation with universities and hospitals and with the pharmaceutical industry.”

Nationwide infrastructure

With life expectancy increasing, the incidence of dementia will continue to rise. This is because the risk of dementia increases with age. Without decisive progress in prevention and therapy, the number of patients in Germany could rise from around 1.5 million at present to around 2 million in 2025. Against this background, the DZNE was founded in 2009. Today, it is one of the world’s leading centers in the area of dementia research, with nine sites located throughout Germany and 1,000 staff members from more than 50 countries. Around 450 experts currently work at the DZNE’s largest site in Bonn.

The DZNE is the only non-university research institution dedicated to all aspects of dementia. For this, it bundles expertise in the fields of fundamental research, clinical research, healthcare research and population research into a single research organization. 

Insights into various research areas

Scientists at the DZNE presented this comprehensive approach to the Federal President. A visit to the clinical trial unit, for example, focused on studies into dementia and Parkinson’s diseases being conducted in close cooperation with the Bonn University Hospital with the aim of improving diagnosis and treatment.

The Federal President was also given insights into fundamental research topics such as research into the causes of disease, besides being introduced to the DZNE’s activities in the fields of healthcare research and cooperation with self-help organizations such as the Deutsche Alzheimer Gesellschaft e.V. (German Alzheimer’s Association) and the Allianz für Menschen mit Demenz (Alliance for People with Dementia).

The program also included the DZNE’s “Rhineland Study”, one of the world’s largest health studies. Its goal is to find out which factors affect people’s health up until old age. For this, up to 30,000 people from Bonn and the surrounding area will be invited to take stock of their physical and mental fitness every three to four years – and ideally accompanied throughout their lives.