Multimillion-pound health bonanza for Manchester
01 Mar 2012
Manchester researchers are celebrating after securing £12.5 million of Government funding for clinical research in the city.
Three leading hospital trusts, working closely with The University of Manchester, have been awarded the money to carry out research into many of the major diseases and illnesses that affect the population of Greater Manchester and the wider North West.
The three Clinical Research Facilities that will receive funding are:
- Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, alongside other Greater Manchester Trust partners, will use £5.5 million funding to support studies for people with diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis, depression, addiction, and diabetes.
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, which will use the £4.5million funding to support early-stage trials of treatments for people with cancer.
- University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, which will use the £2.5million funding to support early-stage trials of treatments for people with lung diseases such as asthma, fungal infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and also food allergies.
Researchers believe the success of these bids reflects the scale of expertise in conducting clinical trials in Manchester’s NHS organisations and The University of Manchester, which collectively form MAHSC (Manchester Academic Health Science Centre).
MAHSC Director Professor Ian Jacobs, Dean and Vice President of the University’s Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, said the announcement represented a “Red Letter Day” for Manchester and further enhanced the reputation of the city as a leading international centre for healthcare and health science.
He said: “An extraordinary level of collaborative joint working has been achieved which makes it possible to conduct trials of the highest quality, on a large scale in a broad range of health areas, including cancer, respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and inflammatory disorders. This funding will lead to new healthcare innovations that will be rapidly applied for the benefit of our population through the MAHSC partnership.”
NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts with clinical research facilities submitted bids for the funding, which were judged by a panel of UK experts in both medical research and in running clinical research facilities. Winning bids were selected on the basis of the quality and volume of world-class medical research they support, as well as other criteria including the strength of their partnerships with universities and industry.
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “These important awards build on the great strengths across the University and its partner NHS Trusts and span our research from basic discovery through to patient benefit."
Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley said: “Both public and patients think it’s important that the NHS should support research into new treatments, and we agree. That’s why we’re investing over £100m in research facilities, nurses and technicians to help make the NHS a world-class place to do research.
“These researchers will push forward the boundaries of what is possible. These are the people and the labs where the very best new treatments will be developed for a huge range of conditions - from cancer to diabetes and heart disease. NHS patients are the ones who will see the benefit of their work.”
Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health added: “These are very exciting times for clinical research in the UK, and this funding is a reflection of the commitment we have to supporting world-class experimental medicine.
“The Clinical Research Facilities will play a key role in supporting advances in treatments for a wide variety of diseases and supporting collaboration with industry. Thousands of people will benefit right across the country.”
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