New NHS leaders in Alzheimer’s research and development
pharmafile | September 15, 2005 | News story | |
A new NHS team has been set up to accelerate the development of new medical treatments for neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
Leading researchers from University College London and the University of Newcastle have been given 20 million to create the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Network, which will co-ordinate NHS staff and resources across the country.
The new network is in one of six key therapeutic areas in which the government wants to see more UK-based research and clinical trials.
Professor Martin Rossor, director of the new co-ordinating centre for the network said it would forge new partnerships between psychiatry and neurology specialists and primary care teams.
"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," he said.
Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society welcomed the network, saying clinical trials in the area often failed to gain the support they deserved.
Neurodegenerative diseases which could benefit also include motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntingdon's disease.
The new network has been modelled on the success of the National Cancer Research Network, which was established in 2001. The network has been remarkably successful, doubling the total number of cancer patients entering clinical trials in the UK since its launch, with 8,500 patients (7.5% of all cancer patients) entering a trial in the last six months.
Networks in four other areas – stroke, diabetes, medicines for children and mental health – have all already been launched, and are already showing progress. The diabetes network, established in July this year is now in the process of creating a national database of people with diabetes who are interested in taking part in clinical trials.
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