Dementia study calling for more Malay participants

Image: Researchers at the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore) examining a MRI scan of a research subject’s brain with the centre’s director Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah (front right).

The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Dementia Research Centre at NTU Singapore is hoping to increase the number of Malay participants of their Biomarkers and Cognition Study, Singapore (BIOCIS) Study, to ensure the study is representative of the Singapore population.

They hope to encourage more Malays to participate in their dementia research to develop targeted interventions for early dementia, as well as raise increase dementia awareness in the Malay community, because there is higher risk for dementia among Malays, according to Senior Neurologist, Associate Professor Nagaendran Kandiah, Director of the Dementia Research Centre.

​​BIOCIS is a visionary prospective cohort study, established and led by the Dementia Research Centre (Singapore) at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. They plan to identify biomarkers that contribute to the development of cognitive impairment, with the ultimate goal is to identify novel biomarkers to detect diseases that cause dementia at the earliest possible stage and to develop strategies which could potentially prevent and delay the development of dementia.

Mr Zainudin Nordin, a former member of parliament, was one of the first to participate in the study. Seeing his father's and late uncle's conditions worsening due to dementia, he wanted to take proactive steps to prevent it.

The research centre welcomes participants for their various studies, volunteers, collaborators as well as philanthropic support. For more information, please click here.