To support global standards for research on Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, representatives of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have signed an agreement with their counterparts from Germany and the United Kingdom.

"The lack of common standards so far has made it difficult for researchers to compare and validate research results," said a joint statement Thursday from CIHR, the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the U.K. Medical Research Council.

"Ensuring comparability means that results achieved in laboratories will benefit patients faster."

A news conference was held at the British embassy in Berlin after the agreement was signed.

Each of the three centres will contribute $1.26 million into a joint fund to further their goals.

"We firmly believe it will require a concerted global research effort to better understand these disorders, improve diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately find a cure for diseases that affect millions of people," said Dr. Rémi Quirion, executive director of the International Collaborative Research Strategy for Alzheimer's disease at CIHR.

All three partners have special expertise in various fields ranging from basic to clinical research.

CIHR conducts both basic and clinical research and is working to standardize imaging methods and how the images are evaluated.