ISTAART Research Retrospectives - Professor Bruce Miller

Dr. Claire Sexton interviews Professor Bruce Miller about his career in dementia research, specifically focusing on frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Professor Miller discusses his early work in the 1990s, when FTD was often dismissed as too rare to diagnose and differentiate from Alzheimer's disease. He credits his mentors, Frank Benson and Jeff Cummings, for supporting his belief in FTD as a distinct and common form of dementia. Professor Miller also discusses the resistance he faced in convincing the medical community of FTD's existence and the pivotal role of his 1991 paper in neurology. He highlights the importance of mentorship and collaboration in advancing research. Professor Miller also discusses the evolution of FTD research, including the identification of genetic forms of the disease and the development of potential treatments. He expresses optimism about the future of FTD research and treatment, particularly with the advent of gene-editing technologies like CRISPR. Dr. Miller also discusses his work with the Global Brain Health Institute, which aims to democratize health and focus on dementia in low and middle-income countries. He emphasizes the importance of compassionate care in conjunction with research.

Professor Miller will be attending the Alzheimer's Association Tau 2024 Conference & AAIC Satellite Symposium - find more information at https://www.alz.org

Find a transcript for this podcast, links to bios and the papers discussed in this podcast on our website:

https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/istaart-research-retrospectives-professor-bruce-miller/

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