New EU legislation ‘could harm UK medical research sector’

A leading UK research charity has expressed concerns that planned amendments to EU Data Protection Regulations will have negative knock-on effects for the medical research sector.

Cancer Research UK has highlighted the fact that changes to protect people's personal data – which have been agreed by the European Parliament LIBE committee – will have the unintended consequence of preventing or impairing scientific research studies that use personal data.

Many studies currently being conducted by Cancer Research UK are reliant on having access to data about people's age, gender, place of residence, health conditions and lifestyles, in order to identify appropriate participants.

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, argued that Britain already has sufficiently robust research ethics systems in place that protect patients but also allow vital research to take place.

He added: "We're calling on the UK and EU governments to take action and ensure the regulation is changed in order to protect medical research in Europe."

The organisation is one of the country's leading research charities, carrying out studies to advance understanding of more than 200 forms of cancer.