In the UK, Alzheimer’s costs society thirty billion pounds annually, says Dobson. “And only fifty million is earmarked for research that might prevent those costs: a tenth of the funds for cancer research and studies into cardiovascular diseases.” And it’s sheer peanuts compared to what goes into infrastructure every year. “Criminal”, according to the chemist, referring to the fact the disaster that’s coming straight for us has no priority at all. “One million people are suffering from Alzheimer’s in the UK right now. We expect that number to increase threefold. How are we to take care of all of them?”

Thankfully, all hope is not lost, says Dobson. “We’re beginning to understand the molecular processes that lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and those provide clues for a solution.”