Medical Research Committee to provide research fund

The Medical Research Committee (MRC) has committed to provide 60 million pounds to fund three research programmes using human volunteers in experimental studies.

As part of the MRC's 'Experimental Medicine Challenge', the research will focus on the biological mechanisms of Parkinson's disease, reduced immunity in the elderly, and the way the gut and brain interact to influence addictive behaviour.

Scientists hope they will be provided with fresh insights by studying these conditions in people, assessing how disease takes hold and progresses through the body.

The MRC believes this will help to identify new medical treatment opportunities, with researchers also able to use the findings to work backwards from human trials and design better laboratory experiments.

Life sciences minister George Freeman said: "Understanding how disease really works in humans is crucial in generating new treatments and medicines. Through the NHS’s unique strengths as a national healthcare system, with 50 years of disease and drug data, we are leading the world in this exciting field."