Health researchers in Cambridge have been awarded £114.5m to develop and translate new scientific discoveries into medicines and treatments. The funds come as a part of a five-year £800m investment by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
The University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals Trust, which runs Addenbrooke's and the Rosie Hospital, have been awarded £110m. A further £4.5m will fund a new research unit focusing on dementia. The Cambridge partnership has already been identified as a national leader in research into the disease. Cambridge is one of five comprehensive Biomedical Research Centres in England and the £110m figure represents another five years' funding.
It is expected that the cash would be used to back projects designed to benefit patients with diseases such as cancer and diabetes, specifically targeting advances in diagnosis, prevention and treatment.
Research areas include brain injury, cardiovascular disease, genomics, mental health, infectious diseases and disorders of the immune system, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders, transplantation, population science and women's health.
Dr John Bradley, director of the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, said, “We are delighted to receive the news that we have retained our Biomedical Research Centre designation - and even more pleased that the international selection panel has recommended a considerable increase in our funding. This will allow the partnership between Cambridge University Hospitals and the University of Cambridge to build on the substantial achievements of the last five years.”
Prime Minister David Cameron said, “This unprecedented investment into the development of innovative medicines and treatments will have a huge impact on the care and services patients receive and help develop the modern, world-class health service patients' deserve. A strong competitive science and research base is a crucial part of securing sustainable economic growth and creating jobs of the future, and we have some of the best scientists and facilities in the world. This investment will help ensure we continue to be at the cutting edge.”
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, added, “This will help deliver real improvements in patients' chances of surviving and living a more independent, healthier and better quality of life.”
Less well-known hospitals also won important awards – South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London will get £48m and money for software packages which can pinpoint early stage Alzheimer's disease.
Recently, more than 100 of the world's most senior chemists, including six Nobel laureates, wrote to Mr. Cameron to warn of the impact of proposed cuts in funding for scientific research essential to industries ranging from biotechnology to agriculture. Budget cuts in this area are expected to amount to up to 15% in real terms over the next few years.
Colin Blakemore, professor of neuroscience at the University of Oxford which will share £95m with the local Radcliffe NHS trust, said “it was good to see “the research budget of the NHS has been protected during the current period of upheaval and financial constraint”. However he warned that with the government pushing for more private sector companies to supply health services that there would have to be provisions to make sure that any commercial providers who win NHS contracts are also obliged to support research, “The NHS has a very different culture of commitment from what we sometimes see from private companies,” he explained.
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