UK Government commit £50m to motor neurone disease research

The UK Government has announced it will be delivering on its pledge to invest £50m into motor neurone disease (MND) research, with £29.5m of the committed funding being invested immediately through specialist research centres and partnerships with leading researchers.

The Government also said it will be removing red tape to ensure the funding is made available to researchers more quickly, enabling faster progress towards treatments.

Biomedical research centres, which are collaborations between academics and clinicians, will be receiving the accelerated £29.5m to get funding to the most promising researchers who are already working in MND.

In support of this, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) will work together to ensure proposals are referred to the most appropriate scheme for consideration at the early idea stage.

The health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, will also host leading researchers and patient groups at a roundtable to discuss their research on MND and how they can access this additional funding.

MND is an uncommon neurodegenerative disease, which affects the brain and nerves, causing weakness that gets progressively worse over time. There is no cure for MND and current treatment focuses on maintaining functional ability and managing symptoms.

Secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, Grant Shapps, said: “Some of the UK’s brightest and best scientific minds are battling to find treatments – and one day, a cure – for the cruel and devastating condition that is MND. We have invested millions of pounds in supporting them in that fight, but we are committed to doing more.

“[These] measures will cut unnecessary red tape, getting that vital funding to the frontline faster, as well as investing more in the crucial work that our world-leading scientists and researchers are doing.”

The remainder of the committed MND funding is available for researchers to access via NIHR and MRC, with the Government inviting researchers to submit applications to an open call for ‘the highest-quality projects’.

Professor Lucy Chappell, chief executive officer of the NIHR, said: “[The] significant commitment to delivering MND research is a hugely welcome next step towards really tackling this debilitating illness.

“This detailed plan makes full use of our world-leading health research sector, and gives us the best chance of making truly impactful findings and treatments.”