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Press Release

Medical research given £800m boost

18 August 2011

The Government has announced plans to spend £800 million over the next five years on medical research to develop new treatments for illnesses like cancer, diabetes, dementia and heart disease.

The amount is the largest single allocation for early stage medical research approved by the Government and is part of the £4 billion medical research fund announced in the comprehensive spending review last October.

The money will be invested in improving the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the aforementioned diseases and illnesses.

Specifically, some of the funding will pay for four new biomedical research units specialising in dementia research.

The research will be carried out through NHS and university partnerships managed by the National Institute for Health Research.

Age UK's Head of Research, Professor James Goodwin, welcomed the news. He said, 'Medical research into the health conditions of ageing is underfunded. The fact that this plan focuses on a range of age-related diseases is therefore extremely good news. Of those diseases, dementia is a prime candidate for a funding boost'.

Andrew Chidgey, head of policy and public affairs at the Alzheimer's Society, said: 'It is fabulous news that dementia research is finally being taken seriously and beginning to be treated as the priority it should be.

'The funding is a very significant first step on the road to bringing dementia in line with other conditions such as cancer, which receives eight times more Government funding.'



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