A team from University College London and
the University of Newcastle upon Tyne have been chosen to lead a £20
million initiative to speed up the development of new medical treatments
for dementia and neurodegenerative disease the Department of Health announced
today.
The team will co-ordinate a network of NHS staff and resources across
the country to expand the number and range of clinical trials of medical
treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Motor Neurone Disease,
Parkinson’s Disease, Huntingdon’s Disease and Alzheimer’s.
This is the latest development in the Government’s drive to help
the advancement of new medical treatments in six specific disease areas – stroke,
diabetes, medicines for children, mental health, cancer, and dementias
and neurodegenerative diseases. Each network co-ordinates NHS resources
and, working in partnership with clinical researchers, primary care trusts,
the pharmaceutical industry and the voluntary sector, enables more patients
to take part in clinical trials.
Health Minister Jane Kennedy said:
“ More NHS patients will get the benefits of leading-edge medicines
and treatments by increasing the number of NHS patients participating
in clinical trials. Better co-ordination of clinical trials is the key
to speeding up the development of medical treatments from the laboratory
to the patient bedside. Through the research networks the NHS provides
the patients, the staff and the facilities required for clinical trials
to take place.
_ The Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease
Research Network means we can drive forward research in an area that
currently does not
receive
the support it deserves.”
Professor Martin Rossor, Director of the Dementias and Neurodegenerative
Disease Research Network Coordinating Centre says:
“ The Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Network
will forge partnerships between specialists in psychiatry and neurology
together with teams in primary care who treat this large group of patients
with complex and often long term diseases. The network will offer unprecedented
opportunities to bring the latest clinical treatments and trials to people
in the UK. The new scheme will operate in close partnership with patient
organisations to ensure that we are addressing the research questions
that are of most importance to patients.”
Dr Susanne Sorensen, Head of Research at the Alzheimer’s Society
said:
“The Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Network
marks a positive step forward for dementia care, as all too often clinical
trials in this area fail to get the support they deserve. This initiative
will make clinical research for dementia easier and will hopefully lead
to more treatments for the thousands of people in the UK who have this
distressing condition. The Society is looking forward to the exciting
new opportunities the Network will create and hopes to be closely involved
with its future work.”
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research at the Parkinson’s Disease
Society (PDS) said:
“ We welcome the announcement of the Dementias and Neurodegenerative
Disease Research Network. This network will have a huge impact on our
ability to carry out multi-centre clinical research within the UK.
_ Parkinson's
disease is a devastating illness that affects all aspects of life for
those with the condition and current treatments can cause
severe side effects.
_ We hope that the increase of clinical
trials for new treatments will progress the PDS’ ultimate goal of allowing
people with Parkinson's to lead a life free of symptoms.”
The Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Network completes
the current £100 million programme of networks announced by the
Department of Health in November 2004 under the banner of the UK Clinical
Research Network (UKCRN). This programme follows on from the success
of the National Cancer Research Network, the first research network established
by the Department of Health in 2001.
To date, the success of the National
Cancer Research Network includes:
- Doubling the total number of cancer patients entering clinical trials
in the UK since its inception – in the last six months 8,500
patients (7.5% of all cancer patients) entered clinical trials.
Increasing the percentage of cancer patients participating in trials
in England to twice the level of the USA.
- The other research networks
are putting in place systems to build on the lessons learned by the
cancer network. For example, the Diabetes
Research Network is creating a national database of people with
diabetes interested in taking part in clinical trials. Most diabetes
care
is carried out by GPs in primary care setting so existing databases
tend
to be fragmented
around the country.
Professor Peter Selby Director of the UK Clinical Research Network says:
“ The development of the clinical research networks are very
exciting and will undoubtedly enable us to build on recent scientific
advances,
rapidly leading to benefits for patients. Each of the networks will be
different but the National Cancer Research Network has already demonstrated
what can be achieved by bringing the clinical community together to deliver
high quality trials. Results become available much sooner and can be
translated more quickly into improving patient care.”
News is included
on this website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not
to endorse
any particular view or activity. Material in this news item
was first released by the UK Department of Health on 13th September
2005. For further information, please visit
their
website using the link below. |
