Centenary poll - send us your views
To mark the MRC’s Centenary we surveyed a range of people in the public eye - scientists and non-scientists alike - and asked two important questions:
Q1: What medical advance from the past 100 years has had the greatest impact?
Q2: What do you think will be the most important medical discovery in the next 100 years?
Have a look at their responses
But we also want to know what other people think. In partnership with The Times and Cheltenham Science Festival we’re on a hunt for the nation’s most significant medical innovation – and we want to hear from you. In addition, it would be great if you could direct your family and friends to our Centenary poll and ask them to leave their thoughts.
Professor Sir John Savill, Chief Executive, Medical Research Council, who voted for anti-infectives said:
“Over the past century, we’ve funded some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health, helping contribute to the UK’s international reputation for scientific discovery. MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Twenty-nine MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines.”
“Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms.”
“To mark our Centenary, we surveyed a range of people in the public eye, scientists and non-scientists alike, and asked two important questions: What medical advance from the past 100 years has had the greatest impact? and What do you think will be the most important medical discovery in the next 100 years? The results are fascinating. I’m particularly pleased that so many people recognised the importance of antibiotics, not only because I agree with their choice, but also because MRC researchers were responsible for developing penicillin into a usable drug, winning a Nobel Prize for their work.”
Tell us your top medical innovation of the past and your hopes or predictions for the future – in anything from one word to a hundred. The nation’s favourite medical innovation will be revealed in a special MRC Centenary Celebration live at Cheltenham Science Festival on Saturday 8th June.
Answer the questions for yourself here and we’ll share the contributions on this site.
