The Medical Research Council (MRC), the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the health research departments in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have launched a joint initiative of more than £6millon to identify small carefully defined groups of patients to help researchers detect, treat or prevent diseases.
This new investment will help illuminate previously poorly understood aspects of disease and accelerate the development of new treatments. The initiative forms a key part of an overall strategy for translational research under the auspices of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR). The programme will be tested through a three year pilot initiative.
The MRC and NIHR plan to target both areas of high disease burden and unmet clinical need by bringing together carefully defined groups of patients with a particular illness. It’s hoped these groups will be able to shed light on how the disease progresses, but also help researchers to discover better treatments. As with all research involving people, strict regulations must be followed, including approval from a research ethics committee.
The programme, entitled the Patient Research Cohort Initiative, will support the creation or further development of groups of individuals who have been defined in terms of their health characteristics and medical history. The programme will promote the participation of these groups in studies conducted by companies and academics – for instance exploratory trials involving the biotech industry. It will foster working between industry, academia, charities, the NHS and patients and enable approved studies to get up and running more quickly.
The Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council Sir Leszek Borysiewicz said:
“This new arrangement offers the potential to develop our knowledge of different diseases in an efficient and methodical manner. And as we move to an era when more and more people will have medical treatment that is targeted to their personal needs, this will help us work out how specific diseases evolve and how the spectrum of needs of different patient groups can best be addressed.”
The Director General of Research and Development at the Department of Health, Professor Sally Davies said:
“The National Institute for Health Research anticipates that encouraging researchers in the NHS and universities to work collaboratively with patients and the public in this initiative will enable more targeted therapies, new diagnostics and novel preventative measures to be developed more quickly. That will bring benefits for patients, the nation as a whole and encourage companies to innovate in the UK."
The Chair of the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research, Professor John Bell said:
“This is one of the first initiatives to stem from the increased funding delivered by the government for increasing the translation of health research into health benefit in the UK. It draws together two of the most important players in health research ever more closely for the benefit of patients. And it will also help to encourage innovation and the developments of treatments by the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.”
Details of other components of the OSCHR strategy covering discovery and exploratory development, methodology and human capital will be announced separately.
Responses:
Dr Philip Wright, Director of Science and Technology at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said: “The initiative is welcomed by the pharmaceutical industry and is a tangible outcome of UK Government's strategy on health research. Exploratory research is an essential element of developing innovative medicines and enhanced understanding of the natural history of disease will improve clinical trial design.
“Together with better insight into the differences in patient response, this will enable us to predict the outcome of diseases better, and help provide the development of more effective treatments and the right medicine for the right patient at the right time.”
Simon Denegri, Chief Executive at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) said:
“We welcome this pilot initiative. Our member charities will be pleased to see this early commitment of funds under OSCHR to improving the design of clinical trials and speeding up the development of new treatments of benefit to patients. Both are issues high on the agenda of many medical research charities. We also welcome the commitment to working in partnership with the sector in taking forward this initiative over the next three years.”
Aisling Burnand, Chief Executive of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), said:
“The introduction of this pilot scheme sets out to speed the translation of innovative bioscience into treatments for patients. In addition to the potential patient benefits, the BIA looks forward to assessing how this initiative will benefit the UK’s bioscience sector.”
The Medical Research Council funds excellent science with the aim of improving human health. Its work ranges from science at the molecular level to public health research carried out in universities, hospitals and a network of units and institutes. The MRC works closely with the Health Departments, the National Health Service and industry to take account of the public’s needs. The results have led to some of the most significant discoveries in medical science and benefited millions of people in the UK and around the world.
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