16 April 2007

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has announced a grant of £2.8 million to support the creation of the MRC Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases. The centre, to be led by Professor Mike Hanna of the Institute of Neurology, will carry out work to develop the understanding of neuromuscular disorders into practical treatments and cures.

The centre is the result of a partnership between a group of UK academic and medical institutions (see below), bringing together specialists working with affected patients, scientific researchers and those with expertise in translating research into treatments. International experts who reviewed the proposal for the MRC said it had the potential to lead the world in the development of such treatments.

Five research centres have formed the partnership:
• University College London (UCL) Institute of Neurology and Institute of Child Health
• University of Newcastle
• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH)
• Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust
• Great Ormond St Hospital for Children (GOSH)

Phillip Butcher, Chief Executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, welcomed the announcement saying, “Over many years, MDC and others have funded research which has significantly improved our knowledge and understanding of neuromuscular diseases. But what our members really want and need are treatments and cures for these conditions. The centre will accelerate the process that turns that knowledge into practice.”

Funding for the centre, was announced as part of the Medical Research Council’s investment of more than £15m in the creation of six new research centres. The centres are aimed at translating scientific discoveries into new drugs, therapies, diagnostic tools or methods of prevention; or using clinical knowledge to inform fundamental research priorities. Other centres announced by the MRC will focus on transplant medicine, obesity, genomics and global health, analysis and modelling of disease outbreaks, and the molecular causes and indicators of disease.

Work on developing the centre will start in October 2007 with a formal opening planned for February the following year. Click here to view the press release at the MRC: www.mrc.ac.uk

The announcement comes in the wake of the launch of TREAT-NMD, a pan-European ‘network of excellence’ bringing together 21 partner organisations already working on neuromuscular diseases based throughout 11 European countries. Find out more: Pioneering £6.7m European network launched to aid muscle disease patients