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MRC perspectives on the changing UK research agenda

14 March 2007

University of Birmingham

Mike Davies, MRC

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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.

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• 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

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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

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MRC Strategy

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Council and the Boards

NEW STRATEGY BOARD

RESEARCH BOARDS

HSPHRB, IIB, MCMB, NMHB, PSCSB

CO

LLEG

ES

O

F E

XP

ER

TS

STRATEGY & PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW GROUPS (SPOGS)

COUNCIL

OTHER AWARDS PANELS

(Competitions)

TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT BOARD

RESEARCH CAREER AWARDS PANELS

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Translational Research

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Delivering Medical Research

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tran

slation

al research

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Clinical Candidate Development Commercialization

Cumulative

Investment

£600 M

£270-320 M

£110-160 M

£10-30 MRisk

Target

Identification

and

Validation

Assay

Development

Lead

Generation

Lead

Optimization

Pre-Clinical

Development

Phase

1

Phase

11

Phase

111

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

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Spectrum– recent targeted initiatives

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

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

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Comprehensive Spending Review

2007

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CSR 2007 Priorities

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

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

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Lifelong Health

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

Early origins of health and disease

Healthy children

Elderly

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Fundamental insights into better health

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

Gene regulation

Translating genomic knowledge into improved health

Integrative/systems biology

Regenerative medicine/stem cells

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Energising Clinical Research - Targeting opportunities and needs

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

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

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Health of Disciplines

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

New generation of Clinical scientists

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

Clinical and public health methodological research

Targeted initiatives with Devolved Administrations

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Translation – push and pull

Basic Research

Clinical Research

ExperimentalMedicine

PopulationSciences

Implementation & Delivery

Tra

ns

latio

na

l res

ea

rch

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

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Single Health Research Fund

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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

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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.

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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

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MRCNIHR

Treasury

SoS Health SoS DTI

DG OSIDG R&D OSCHR

TMFB

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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

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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

a

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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)