MRC joins partners in Canada and Germany to establish international network for neurodegenerative research
29 June 2010
Representatives of the Medical Research Council (MRC), the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have recently launched a new joint initiative in Berlin to develop productive links between their respective centres of excellence of neurodegenerative research. The overall aim of the initiative is to accelerate progress in understanding neurodegenerative diseases and help identify new approaches for treatment.
The joint initiative will initially run for three years, with each agency committing an equal share to provide £3m for collaborative research that will underpin future studies in the neurodegenerative diseases field. The immediate focus will be to: establish and adopt common methodologies and operating procedures, share research technologies, materials and resources, and enhance data sharing between the participating research centres.
All three organisations have emphasised the importance of international co-operation in tackling the challenges presented by the growing burden of neurodegenerative disease in an increasingly ageing society. The lack of common standards has so far made it difficult for researchers from different countries to compare and validate the results of their research. By ensuring that studies are comparable and strengthening understanding of these diseases among researchers, the three partners hope that results in the laboratory will be able to benefit patients earlier.
Professor Chris Kennard, Chair of the MRC Neurosciences and Mental Health Board said:
“Building on our review of neurodegeneration research in 2008, the MRC has injected significant funding in this area and welcomes this exciting opportunity to join with aligned activities in Germany and Canada. Linkage of our respective centres of excellence will provide an international network capable of attracting the best scientists, providing access to cutting-edge technologies, and harmonising approaches and methodologies to enhance the delivery of the highest quality interdisciplinary research. It’s through first-class international partnerships such as this one that we will build on our knowledge base and accelerate our understanding to more rapidly combat these debilitating neurodegenerative diseases.
Prof. Pierluigi Nicotera, Scientific Director and Chairman of the Executive Board at the DZNE, is thrilled that the institution can contribute to the effort:
“This cooperation is of great importance for German research on neurodegenerative diseases. We hope to be able to contribute our expertise to develop new strategies to preventing and curing these diseases.”
Dr Rémi Quirion, Executive Director of the International Collaborative Research Strategy for Alzheimer's Disease at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research said:
“We are proud to work with our colleagues in Germany and the UK to fund research addressing neurodegenerative disorders, in particular on Alzheimer’s disease. We firmly believe that it will require a concerted common research effort to better understand these disorders, improve diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately find a cure for diseases that affect millions of people,”
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