One year ago, ON-FIRE launched with a clear mission: to accelerate Frontotemporal dementia research and treatments by understanding the role of inflammation and its genetic and environmental drivers, and creating a network for frontotemporal dementia research and trials across the whole UK. After months of preparation, recruitment began in Cambridge in December 2023, and has now grown to more than 15 sites across England and Scotland, with our first Welsh site due to open early next year.
This has been a year of milestones for ON-FIRE. By June, our first non-Cambridge sites were open, and by September, recruitment was truly nationwide. Today, more than 100 participants have joined ON-FIRE, helping to build a unique UK-wide resource and a foundation for future discoveries that aim to improve diagnosis, deepen biological understanding, biomarker development and ultimately guide new treatment strategies in frontotemporal dementia.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the people with Frontotemporal dementia and their families who have given their time and effort to join this research, as well as all collaborators and funders – none of this would be possible without them, their motivation, energy, and trust to this study.
The next year promises even more progress as ON-FIRE moves from set-up and early recruitment into steady and long-term follow-up. Planned developments include: participant follow-up visits, over 20 new sites joining, and events to raise awareness of Frontotemporal dementia. The journey continues and we are all very excited for what is ahead – we would love for you to follow along: check back here for stories, milestones, and updates as ON-FIRE continues to grow!
Thank you again to everyone who has supported ON-FIRE in its first year — participants, families, research teams, funders, and partner organisations. We look forward to another exciting year together!