1 MRC perspectives on the changing UK research agenda 14 March 2007 University of Birmingham Mike...

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MRC perspectives on the changing UK research agenda

14 March 2007

University of Birmingham

Mike Davies, MRC

MRC Mission

• To encourage and support high quality research with the aim of maintaining and improving human health;

• To produce skilled researchers, and to advance and disseminate knowledge and technology to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness in the UK;

• To promote dialogue with the public about medical research.

• Now…

MRC spends about £530 million of public money per annum:

• providing funding for research programmes and infrastructure, and by investing in training and employment both in universities and in MRC's own research centres

• from basic discoveries right through to developing treatments,

• to achieve health benefits as quickly as possible

• with an increasing emphasis on prevention

Medical Research Council

MRC Background - Facts & FiguresFunds spent in 2005/06

• over £50m on training researchers in universities and hospitals

Support over 3,500 people in UK & overseas• 3 research institutes• 29 research units

> 3,000 researchers supported by MRC-funded programmes in universities & hospitals (including 15 MRC Centres)• 350 Research Fellowships• 85 Career Establishment Grants/New Investigator Research

Grant holders• 726 Post-doctoral researchers on MRC grants

MRC Strategy

Council and the Boards

NEW STRATEGY BOARD

RESEARCH BOARDS

HSPHRB, IIB, MCMB, NMHB, PSCSB

STRATEGY & PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW GROUPS (SPOGS)

COUNCIL

OTHER AWARDS PANELS

(Competitions)

TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT BOARD

RESEARCH CAREER AWARDS PANELS

Translational Research

Delivering Medical Research

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

slation

al research

Clinical Candidate Development Commercialization

Cumulative

Investment

£600 M

£270-320 M

£110-160 M

£10-30 MRisk

Target

Identification

Validation

Development

Generation

Optimization

Pre-Clinical

Development

Registration Global

Launch

Global

Optimization

The Risk/Cost/Time Development Paradigm

Time8 – 12 Years

Hypothesis

Generation1. Drug Discovery and Biomarkers

2. Experimental Medicine

3. Methodological Research

Spectrum– recent targeted initiatives

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

MRCT Drug Discovery Biobank launched

Exp Med initiative

Clinical Research Facilities

•Population Health Network•Biostatistics – capacity build

•Translator awards•Translational Centres•Biomarkers initiative•University partnerships•NPRI

Methodological/Implementation

Comprehensive Spending Review

CSR 2007 Priorities

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

•Lifelong Health•Fundamental insights•Energising clinical research •Health of Disciplines•Translation – push & pull

Lifelong Health

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

Early origins of health and disease

Healthy children

Elderly

Fundamental insights into better health

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

Gene regulation

Translating genomic knowledge into improved health

Integrative/systems biology

Regenerative medicine/stem cells

Energising Clinical Research - Targeting opportunities and needs

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

Diseases of modern life

Innovation in healthcare technologies

New approaches to prevention and public

health

Neglected populations

Orphan Areas – unmet clinical needs

Linking cohorts and using the data goldmine

Health of Disciplines

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

New generation of Clinical scientists

Partnerships: chemical biology, predictive toxicology, clinical pharmacology, pathology

Clinical and public health methodological research

Targeted initiatives with Devolved Administrations

Translation – push and pull

Basic Research

Clinical Research

PopulationSciences

Applied Research + Co-operation Fund

Applied R&D close to implementation or commercialisation

Partnerships with industry - NICE

Targeted initiatives – Research Impact Monitoring Programme and translators

Single Health Research Fund

Opportunity to improve translational research in UKthrough the Single Health Research Fund

• Announcement by the Chancellor in March 2006 budget of a single ring-fenced budget to support health research funded by MRC and the NHS R&D programme

• Sir David Cooksey led the review into publicly funded health research in the UK

• The Chancellor announced the outcome of the review in his pre-budget speech on 6 December

Ideas on the health research base

• Problems in translation lie in gaps between:• Clinical / basic science and new intervention• Getting evidence-based intervention into practice

• DH should provide a stronger “user” voice in medical research priority setting.

• Relative payback from basic & applied medical research unknown. We need evidence.

• Peer review, career paths, and NHS environment discourage applied health research.

Ideas for innovation and industry

• A clearer health research strategy will help engagement and industry investment

• A new, more strategic, approach to adoption of new ideas / technologies in NHS

• Shorter drug development process• Better experimental medicine / markers / models• Streamline clinical trials • Fast-track products for priority areas (UK Priority Health Research

Projects)• Earlier NICE / HTA involvement• More conditional licensing of new products

• Remove barriers to collaboration (e.g. VAT) and gaps in translation

• Sustain and build on excellent research base – basic and clinical

MRCNIHR

Treasury

SoS Health SoS DTI

DG OSIDG R&D OSCHR

• Chaired by John Bell

• CEOs of MRC and NIHR• Directors General of OSI and DH R&D (England)• Three others

• Sets overall health research strategy

• Approves bids to CSR, allocates funds between MRC and NIHR

• Promotes joint working

• Annual report to Parliament, monitors delivery

• Oversees Translational Medicine Funding Board

MRC Portfolio of Vision Research (1)

• MRC spends ~£2.5m pa on research relevant to vision

• Current support covers whole spectrum from basic underpinning to surgical treatments

• Support includes research grants, new investigator awards and personal fellowships

• Also consider proposals trials and epidemiological studies

MRC Portfolio of Vision Research (2)

Examples of research supported

• Molecular genetics of human retinal degeneration (MRC HGU); genetic susceptibility to AMD (Cambridge)

• Plasticity in the visual cortex in amblyopia (Cardiff)

• Visual Developmental disorders

• Improving surgical techniques for wet AMD (Moorfields/UCL)

• Stem cell research: 4 awards made under call including development of retinal stem cell therapies (Institute of Ophthalmology)

1 MRC perspectives on the changing UK research agenda 14 March 2007 University of Birmingham Mike...

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