UCL neurodegenerative disease research to receive funding from e-money business

A UCL research team developing an artificial fibre technology to accelerate neurodegenerative disease clinical trials will be one of the first studies supported by e-money venture Science Card. The UCL Department of Mechanical Engineering will receive proceeds from the new e-money current account app that enables users to support research projects in areas such as healthcare, climate change and computing. Science Card, Britain's first e-money current accounts dedicated to accelerating science and innovation, announced the launch of the research project led by Professor Emad Moeendarbary (UCL Mechanical Engineering). The project will be showcased for funding on Science Card's platform, enabling people in the UK to directly contribute to scientific research through everyday spending. In the UK, over 1 million people are living with a neurodegenerative condition, including demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. Demyelinating diseases occur when the protective covering around nerve fibres, called the myelin sheath, is damaged. While progress has been made in understanding neurodegenerative diseases, there are currently few approved treatments and government commitments to double the level of funding to dementia have been recognised as being essential to helping address the scale of these diseases and the challenges they place upon our health system and economy.