The State Government will partner with the Little Heroes Foundation to provide $500,000 towards much-needed research into childhood dementia.
Childhood dementia is a devastating and under-recognised group of genetic disorders, which result in potentially irreversible brain damage beginning in childhood.
Like adult dementia, childhood dementia is progressive, meaning children lose their ability to talk, walk, read, write and play.
An estimated 91 Australians die with childhood dementia each year, almost as many who die from childhood cancer.
According to the Childhood Dementia Initiative, 1 in every 2900 babies is born with a condition that causes childhood dementia. Half of all children with dementia die by the age of 10.
Approximately 2500 Australian children have dementia - 120 of them in South Australia.
To support vital research into the condition, the State Government will contribute $250,000 to the Little Heroes Foundation, which itself will contribute $250,000 to support research outcomes.
The partnership will enable the Childhood Dementia Research Group at Flinders University to grow its research.
The research group has already made an early discovery on a drug that changes some childhood dementia impacted cells to make them more like normal cells.
Little Heroes Foundation founding chairman and CEO Chris McDermott said he first heard of the disease last year when he was made aware of the story of Adelaide mother Renee Staska whose three children – aged 5, 8 and 10 – all have the condition.
“We at Little Heroes Foundation have been supporting families like Renee’s while investing in researchers at Flinders University, who are busy looking for a breakthrough,” Mr McDermott said.
“Through this partnership with the Government, we here in South Australia can become world leaders in this vital area of research.”
Professor Kim Hemsley, head of Flinders University Childhood Dementia Research Group, said the crucial funding would support discoveries with the potential to improve quality of life for thousands of children.
“The research has until now focused on treatments for Sanfilippo syndrome and will be expanded to target other types of childhood dementia, including Niemann-Pick disease, thanks to the support of the South Australian Government and Little Heroes Foundation,” Prof Hemsley said.
“This funding is also an investment in the next generation of researchers in South Australia with Dr Siti Mubarokah leading this important medical research.”
