We are on the cusp of a?new era of?genetic therapies that promise to?rapidly transform incurable – and often debilitating or?fatal – conditions into being treatable. This is?one of?several areas where medical research is?making rapid advances that have?not yet made it to?the clinic. The question for us in?the UK’s Medical Research Council?is: how can we?accelerate translation of?this new scientific knowledge into benefits for patients in?the NHS?
About two years ago, I?led a review to determine how we could make our big research investments fit for the modern age. The result is the new model of MRC Centres of?Research Excellence (MRC CoREs). These will replace the existing MRC Units and reset the strategic direction of our long-term investments around the greatest medical challenges, progress in which will have an impact on health in years to?come.
Our first two MRC CoREs, announced today, epitomise this vision, as they aim to develop transformative new advanced therapeutics for currently untreatable diseases. One centre, the MRC/BHF CoRE in Advanced Cardiac Therapies, will be co-funded with the British Heart Foundation and focus on developing gene therapies for heart disease. The other centre, the MRC CoRE in Therapeutic Genomics, aims to make rare genetic disorders treatable by enabling the mass production of affordable cutting-edge gene therapies that target the genetic code itself.
It’s important that the biomedical challenge each MRC CoRE addresses is both specific (explainable in a?sentence or?two) and ambitious: almost beyond reach at the present moment but not so bold that we can’t imagine major progress within the 14?years of investment that MRC CoREs could receive (with a?budget of up to ?50?million).
Although the first two CoREs are focused on treating diseases, we also anticipate supporting centres that tackle fundamental biological questions important for human health, from molecules to populations, provided that the focus is on understanding mechanisms and using experimental approaches.
In parallel to developing a scientific ambition, it is crucial that our MRC CoREs embrace the opportunities of changing the way that science is done. This includes early data sharing, ensuring reproducibility and, of course, putting in place systems that will train the next generation of researchers from a variety of different backgrounds so they can drive innovation in future years.
Traditional research institutes are based in one location, but because we want to bring together top researchers and different disciplines regardless of where they’re based, the CoREs are able to support scientists across multiple sites, if the specific scientific question demands such a team-science approach.
It is important to note that we are not reducing the MRC’s spend overall. Rather, we are redirecting it towards the most important challenges in biomedical sciences on the horizon. But this means that we have to stop doing some things to create the headroom, and this includes stopping funding for some MRC Units.
This is a big change for many people. The MRC Unit model has been around for a long time, so we have put in place generous support mechanisms to ease the transition and protect the excellent science we have supported through units in the past.
All units have the opportunity to apply to become MRC CoREs before their current five-year funding runs out, and we expect many will successfully make the transition. Some will?not – but change is?not unusual; over the past 15?years, a?unit has closed every 13?months.
Those that do make the transition will enjoy the advantages of a reduced bureaucratic burden on research teams and long-term financial security. Fully embedded in world-leading universities and partnering with external groups, including the life sciences industry, they will be empowered to bring the expertise, techniques and approaches of different disciplines to bear on a problem – or part of the problem – that we can really solve over a 14-year period.
The MRC plans to announce two or three new MRC CoREs during each of the next five years, bringing together the best scientists and putting them in a position to make a real difference around important medical challenges in the most rapid and efficient way possible. This will really change research and improve the health of the nation – and, in the process, strengthen the UK’s leading position in biomedical sciences globally.
I want every single MRC CoRE to be at the forefront in its particular area of research internationally. And I?want to see that each one is actually having an impact on how we can diagnose, treat and prevent diseases in the future – through a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms of biology and disease.
Patrick Chinnery is executive chair of UK?Research and Innovation’s Medical Research Council.
