Dr Sheona Scales

Who Dr Sheona Scales is

Dr Sheona Scales is Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, the UK's leading dementia research charity, where she oversees the charity's research programme, including its response-mode funding, strategic initiatives such as the Drug Discovery Institutes, and its approach to clinical research in dementia. She holds a PhD in Developmental Neuroscience from King's College London and completed postdoctoral work at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research and the Francis Crick Institute, London. Before joining Alzheimer's Research UK, she held several roles at Cancer Research UK, including Head of Research for the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative and Head of the Experimental Cancer Medicines Centres programme and Paediatric Research Lead. She is a prominent public voice on the need to broaden Alzheimer's treatment approaches beyond amyloid, to expand UK clinical-trial enrolment, and to improve dementia diagnosis rates.

References for this biography

1. 1.Senior team – Alzheimer's Research UK — Confirms role as Director of Research, PhD in Developmental Neuroscience from King's College London, postdoctoral work at MRC NIMR and Francis Crick Institute, and prior roles at Cancer Research UK.
2. 2.UK Dementia Drug Discovery to Receive £45 Million Boost – Alzheimer's Research UK — Documents Dr Scales announcing the £45 million, five-year renewal of the Drug Discovery Alliance at the 2026 Annual Research Conference in Manchester.
3. 3.Global snapshot of Alzheimer's research offers new hope – Alzheimer's Research UK — Establishes Dr Scales's public advocacy positions: broadening treatment approaches beyond amyloid, and low UK trial enrolment as a key barrier for people with Alzheimer's.
4. 4.UK trial launches to transform Alzheimer's diagnosis with simple blood test – UCL News — Quotes Dr Scales at the launch of the ADAPT trial, part of the Blood Biomarker Challenge, in September 2025.
5. 5.Alumni stories: Inspiring the next generation of researchers with Sheona Scales – UCL Alumni — Confirms BSc Neuroscience from UCL (2004) and her then-role as Head of Research at Cancer Grand Challenges, Cancer Research UK.
6. 6.For the press – Alzheimer's Research UK — Provides the organisational press office contact details including press@alzheimersresearchuk.org.

Notable achievements

• Announced the renewal of the Alzheimer's Research UK Drug Discovery Alliance for a further five years, backed by up to £45 million of new investment, at the charity's Annual Research Conference in Manchester in February 2026. Source ↗
• Championed the Blood Biomarker Challenge and the ADAPT trial, a major UK initiative to transform dementia diagnosis through accessible blood tests, quoted at launch in September 2025. Source ↗
• Represented Alzheimer's Research UK at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2025 in Toronto, publishing the charity's assessment of the landmark lecanemab and donanemab trial data. Source ↗

What Dr Sheona Scales has said

• “This investment represents one of the most important commitments we can make to people affected by dementia. By strengthening the Drug Discovery Alliance, we're giving more brilliant ideas the chance to become tomorrow's treatments.”

  Director of Research, Alzheimer's Research UK · Dementia · 30 Sept 2026 · UK Dementia Drug Discovery to Receive £45 Million Boost ↗

• “Millions of people continue to be affected by dementia, and they deserve better treatments than the ones available today. Recent debate has highlighted the need for safer and more effective treatments. That means broadening our approach beyond amyloid, and this report shows that change is already happening.”

  Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK · Dementia · 30 Sept 2026 · Global snapshot of Alzheimer’s research offers new hope ↗

• “Although the results of this study suggest that people experiencing more menopause symptoms report having worse memory and behaviour changes in later life, this doesn't mean that they went on to develop dementia. Dementia is caused by diseases in the brain, and while some studies suggest menopause could play a role in our brain health, we need more research to understand if and how this influences whether someone will develop dementia.”

  Director of Research, Alzheimer's Research UK · Women's health & gynaecology · 30 Sept 2026 · Is having more menopause symptoms linked to signs of poor memory and behaviour change in later life? ↗

• “The earlier we can intervene with these experimental or new potential treatments, the greater their chances of success. So the science is currently moving fast, there is a pace of change, but we need the diagnosis in order to speed up, in order to help us to unlock this.”

  director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Doctors trial £100 blood test that could transform how NHS detects Alzheimer’s ↗

• “Evidence around Apoe3 contributing to Alzheimer's and dementia risk is significant, as this has been largely thought of as having a neutral effect on risk.”

  Alzheimer's Research UK · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · Alzheimer’s therapies should target a particular gene, researchers say ↗

• “People won't have access to the next generation of Alzheimer's treatments”

  director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK · Dementia · 27 Aug 2026 · Slow Alzheimer’s diagnoses ‘mean UK patients missing out on experimental treatments’ ↗

Where Dr Sheona Scales has been quoted

1. APOE4 and APOE3 gene variants linked to at least 7 in 10 Alzheimer’s cases, study suggestsalzheimersresearchuk.org · 30 Sept 2026
2. UK Dementia Drug Discovery to Receive £45 Million Boostalzheimersresearchuk.org · 30 Sept 2026
3. Global snapshot of Alzheimer’s research offers new hopealzheimersresearchuk.org · 30 Sept 2026
4. Is having more menopause symptoms linked to signs of poor memory and behaviour change in later life?alzheimersresearchuk.org · 30 Sept 2026
5. Doctors trial £100 blood test that could transform how NHS detects Alzheimer’stheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
6. Alzheimer’s therapies should target a particular gene, researchers saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
7. Slow Alzheimer’s diagnoses ‘mean UK patients missing out on experimental treatments’theguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Cervical Cancer Screening: Analyzing Recent Guideline Changes Against Current Trends of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Risk FactorsCureus
• Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: biotech firm eyes cervical cancer test breakthroughSouth China Morning Post
• Emma Willis, 50, builds upper-body muscle with these 4 go-to exercises – ‘I do want to be strong’Women's Health

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-organisation/senior-team/
• Press office emailpress@alzheimersresearchuk.orgpublished here ↗
• LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sheonascales/

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.