30 May 2007 03:00 PM
17m Pound (sterling) Initiative To Evaluate Biomarkers - The Medical Tool Of The Future, UK
The Medical Research Council is spearheading 17million pounds' worth of projects into cutting edge indicators of disease, known as biomarkers. These can be used to assess health, monitor disease or determine responsiveness to treatment.
Professor Colin Blakemore, the chief executive of the Medical Research Council explained:
"We've been using cholesterol and blood pressure as indicators or biomarkers of heart disease for years. Now we're going to evaluate promising markers that will speed the development of safer, more effective and better targeted treatments for a range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. They will also contribute to the development of new ways to diagnose diseases."
The 18 new projects, 7 of which are supported in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, involve innovative collaborations with industry that should greatly accelerate the translation of scientific knowledge for patient benefit.
This initiative is the culmination of a long-term effort on behalf of the medical research community. It followed an MRC sponsored international conference involving academics, other scientists, regulators and industry, which highlighted the shortage of well-defined biomarkers that can reliably be used in clinical studies.
In total, £8 million has been awarded by MRC and £1million by the British Heart Foundation. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries will contribute another £8 million across the projects, either through direct financial support, the provision of drugs or reagents, the commitment of scientists' time or access to technology. A condition of all the awards is that the results will be freely accessible through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council said:
"The combination of public funding from the Medical Research Council and British Heart Foundation and support from the pharmaceutical industry for these research projects shows how public and private sectors can work together to develop better diagnostic tools as well as to facilitate development of new treatments. These types of collaborations ultimately…
Professor Colin Blakemore, the chief executive of the Medical Research Council explained:
"We've been using cholesterol and blood pressure as indicators or biomarkers of heart disease for years. Now we're going to evaluate promising markers that will speed the development of safer, more effective and better targeted treatments for a range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. They will also contribute to the development of new ways to diagnose diseases."
The 18 new projects, 7 of which are supported in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, involve innovative collaborations with industry that should greatly accelerate the translation of scientific knowledge for patient benefit.
This initiative is the culmination of a long-term effort on behalf of the medical research community. It followed an MRC sponsored international conference involving academics, other scientists, regulators and industry, which highlighted the shortage of well-defined biomarkers that can reliably be used in clinical studies.
In total, £8 million has been awarded by MRC and £1million by the British Heart Foundation. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries will contribute another £8 million across the projects, either through direct financial support, the provision of drugs or reagents, the commitment of scientists' time or access to technology. A condition of all the awards is that the results will be freely accessible through publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council said:
"The combination of public funding from the Medical Research Council and British Heart Foundation and support from the pharmaceutical industry for these research projects shows how public and private sectors can work together to develop better diagnostic tools as well as to facilitate development of new treatments. These types of collaborations ultimately…
