About Scottish Brain Sciences

About Scottish
Brain Sciences

What we do

Scottish Brain Sciences is a pioneering brain sciences research organisation that gives you an opportunity to join a much wider Brain Health Community – shaping not just your future neurological wellbeing, but that of generations to come.

We are committed to delivering a step change in how we detect brain diseases like Alzheimer’s far earlier – and to opening up access for you and your loved ones to clinical trials with next level interventions. Interventions that seek to slow, stop and, ultimately, reverse the progression of brain diseases and acquired brain disorders.

Why we do it

As the NHS prioritises meeting the needs of a growing number of people requiring diagnosis and treatment for brain conditions, there is not always the time or resources for the NHS to engage in clinical research to the extent specialist teams might want to. Overall clinical trial activity in the UK reduced by nearly half (44%) between 2017 and 2021 and has struggled to recover.1

There are so many advances in this area of science and medicine globally that Scotland can, and should, be a part of. We owe it to people with neurodegenerative conditions and their families in Scotland to make sure you can access to the latest opportunities offered by clinical research.

People who take part in clinical research – even those in control groups who do not receive the new treatment under investigation – enjoy better outcomes due to the high level of clinical monitoring and care they receive. 2

Background

Our founder and CEO, Professor Craig Ritchie, was most recently Professor of Psychiatry of Ageing at the Centre for Dementia Prevention at the University of Edinburgh. He has now built a team around him dedicated to taking forward – and expanding – the portfolio of internationally recognised research work he has led in dementia, Alzheimer’s and sports acquired brain conditions.

We are backed by one of the world’s leading healthcare venture philanthropy organisations and are part of studies led by international research teams which are working at the very frontier of understanding of how our brains and nervous systems function, to identify and develop new treatments.

Scottish Brain Sciences builds on Scotland’s life sciences ‘triple helix’ of academia, industry, and the NHS working together in our shared commitment to building Scotland as a leading global centre for brain research.

As an independent research company, Scottish Brain Sciences is funded by investors and commercial organisations that sponsor global research, which means there is never any cost to you if you take part in one of our studies.

1 NHS patients losing access to innovative treatments as UK industry clinical trials face collapse (abpi.org.uk)
2 Rescuing patient access to industry clinical trials in the UK (abpi.org.uk pdf)

Professor Craig Ritchie

Professor Craig Ritchie

© 2023 Scottish Brain Sciences | Company No SC736113 | Registered address: Gyleview House, 3 Redheughs Rigg, Edinburgh, EH12 9DQ