Medical Research Council and Department of Health give £5.3 million to fund 28 new projects
25 February 2005
The Medical Research Council (MRC) and Department of Health (DH) today announced a £5.3m package to fund twenty-eight new research projects on improving understanding of brain science and paving the way for larger clinical trials of new treatments. The projects will address issues such as new ways of treating depression, anxiety, bulimia, and bipolar disorder, biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s, and research into risk factors and prevention.
Following on from an initial £5m investment in 2004, this is the second round of MRC funding (£4.3m) to strengthen UK brain sciences research and promote innovative projects and highly competitive ideas. The Department of Health provided an additional £1m for research into develop mental health.
The successful awards include:
- Studies to understand the mechanisms involved in the development of severe antisocial behaviour and the development of psychological treatments
- A study to investigate the correlation between inherited trait disorders (e.g. antisocial personality disorder, depression) and vulnerability to drug addiction
- Developing new stimulation-based therapies for swallowing problems caused by stroke
- Developing biomarkers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease
- Studying the relationship between individuals suffering from an infection and their subsequent risk of developing depression
- Identifying new biochemical pathways involved in bipolar disorder (manic depression)
- Looking at the management of released prisoners with severe and enduring mental illness
- Studying the practicalities of ‘self help’ as a therapy for people suffering from mild to moderate depression.
- A study to investigate whether dietary supplementation with inositol can prevent neurodevelopmental abnormalities in the unborn fetus e.g. spina bifida
- To see whether drugs developed for the treatment of stress are effective in treating bipolar disorder (manic depression)
- To evaluate the effectiveness of women’s crisis houses compared to psychiatric inpatient wards
A full list of successful applicants, their studies and awards is available.
Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the MRC said:
“It is very encouraging to see the quality and originality of the research ideas coming forward to address the hugely complex problems of mental health and degenerative brain disorders.
MRC is committed to working more closely with the Department of Health and other partners in the UK Clinical Research Collaboration to make sure we have balanced and well co-ordinated programmes of research and infrastructure in the major disease areas.
These jointly funded awards will be especially important in building up research in mental health, which represents a huge burden on people, families, and the health service.”
Professor Sally Davies, Director of Research and Development at the Department of Health said:
“Mental health research is one of our key research priorities. Our joint aim in this initiative is to improve support for trials of new treatments and other high quality research to help find the most effective treatments for patients.
These grants will complement the Department of Health investment in new clinical research networks which are being set up by the UK Clinical Research Collaboration [UKCRC]. A Mental Health Research Network has already been formed, and networks in Stroke and Alzheimer’s disease will be set up in 2005”
The call for research proposals followed two themes. ‘Trial Platforms’ to build capacity for the development of future large scale clinical trials and ‘Pathfinders’ to develop novel and exciting research ideas for future laboratory and epidemiology based studies. Thirteen Trial Platforms (£2.9m) and fifteen Pathfinders (£2.3m) were awarded.
For further information, or to arrange an interview, contact the MRC press office on 0207 637 6011
Notes to Editors
These grants have been highlighted to show the range and diversity and do not reflect any other status attached to them. To access a full list of awards made under this call, please see the MRC website.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK tax-payer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the academic world. MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC’s expenditure of £450 million is invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and Centres. The remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical schools.
The Department of Health invests in research to support Government objectives for health services, public health and social care, with a budget of over £600 million per annum. A large proportion of this sum is devoted to providing the NHS costs of supporting research funded by other bodies such as the Research Councils and charities. Additionally, the DH funds clinical research directly through the NHS R&D Programmes and research needed to inform policy, through the Policy Research Programme. Another vital role is to provide some funding to help improve capacity to undertake research, within the NHS, and this is managed via the national Research Capacity Development Programme. Recent new investment is underpinning the creation of a new UK Clinical Research Collaboration for the effective and efficient translation of scientific advances into patient care.
