SOUTHAMPTON researchers are set to benefit from a £125,000 funding boost.

Alzheimer's UK will hand over the cash - which could go towards helping some of Hampshire's 20,000 Alzheimer's patients.

Prof Delphine Boche will lead a £50,000 project at Southampton University and said: “Using human brain tissue, we will home in on a particular area of the brain, called the locus coeruleus to understand the role it plays in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The loss of nerve cells in the locus coeruleus occurs very early in the disease so we will further investigate the links between inflammation and nerve cell loss in this important brain region. The role inflammation plays in disease is a growing area and this groundbreaking project could lead to novel targets for potential Alzheimer’s drugs.”

Dr Rosa Sancho, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: "While awareness of dementia and disease like Alzheimer’s has grown in recent years, funding for research still lags behind other health conditions like cancer.

“There are around 850,000 people in the UK living with dementia therefore we must continue to invest in the most cutting-edge science to make discoveries that will make breakthroughs to transform lives today and in the future.

“We don’t receive any government funding for our research and rely on the generous support of our supporters.

"Any donation you can give will help us towards bringing about the first life-changing dementia treatment.”