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http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20040210/01
to see links within article, go to link

February 10, 2004

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Brain boost for the UK

Neuroscience projects funded by the MRC to the tune of £5 million | By
Stephen Pincock

The winners of £5 million worth of grants for basic and clinical
neuroscience were announced by Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC)
on Monday (February 9) as part of a push to strengthen the UK's position
in the field.

The 29 grants cover a wide variety of scientific approaches to address
disorders such as depression, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease,
Huntington disease, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, the MRC said.

Brain science is among the top areas of medical research in Britain,
said Nancy Rothwell, professor of neuroscience at the University of
Manchester. ³It's generally world leading with a lot of very, very
strong work going on,² she told The Scientist. ³Although, like every
discipline, it is fighting for limited funds.²

The awards are made as a result of the first round of the MRC's call for
proposals for brain science research in the middle of last year. The
call was arranged into two themes: ³Trial Platforms,² moving toward
clinical trials, and ³Pathfinders,² for building knowledge and capacity
for future research.

They include basic research into genetics, biological markers and
mechanisms of disease, the use of imaging techniques or better
exploitation of existing technology, and the creation of new packages of
care for mental health and future development of clinical trials.

A total of £2.23 million was awarded for 11 Trial Platforms and £2.82
million for 18 Pathfinder grants.

Rothwell, who led the Trial Platforms panel, said the winning projects
tended toward higher-risk research and younger investigators, including
some at the very beginning of their careers. ³We were quite surprised by
the number and quality of applications,² she said. Four projects were
for international collaborations.

Neuroscience has been at the top of the British news agenda over recent
weeks due to the decision by Cambridge University to cancel a planned
facility devoted to neurological studies in primates.

Cambridge cited rising costs as the basis for the decision, but it has
been widely seen as a response to the violent tactics of a small number
of animal rights activists who have become active in Britain in recent
years. Huntingdon Life Sciences, which is based near where the new
center would have been built, has been a particular target.

The current round of funding includes one project involving primates.
³We certainly didn't exclude it [primate research],² Rothwell said.

David Armstrong, who chaired the Trial Platform panel, said in a
statement that two thirds of all the grants awarded were for clinical
research. ³Some of these platforms create potential for large-scale
trials in the future, but many could have an immediate impact on care
and the ways in which it is provided for patients and their families,²
he added.

The applications were also more cost-effective than expected, said Colin
Blakemore, chief executive of the MRC. ³We've been able to support a
third more projects than we anticipated at the outset.²

The second phase of the MRC brain sciences initiative will be a new call
for proposals in summer 2004. Details are yet to be confirmed.

Links for this article
Medical Research Council Brain Sciences Call 2003‹Successful Applicants
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/funding-bscall-successful.htm
Nancy Rothwell
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index/about/about-organisation/about-bodies_and_mem
bers/about-mrc_council/aboutcouncil_members_profiles.htm#anchor-rothwell
P. Hunter, ³UK animal lab scrapped,² The Scientist, January 30, 2004.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20040130/03/
Brain Science, Medical Research Council
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index/public-interest/public-topical_issues/public-
brain_science.htm