An independent review by Professor Cathie Sudlow, Uniting the UK’s Health Data: A Huge Opportunity for Society, highlights the urgent need to tackle inefficiencies in the UK’s health data systems. Published on 8 November 2024, the review outlines how outdated processes are preventing the safe and secure use of health data to improve care, drive research, and benefit society.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is investing £4 million to support 23 early-stage bioscience projects. This funding is part of its 2023 Transformative Research Technologies (23TRT) fund.
Roadblocks from the EU, and the UK government’s determination to get a ‘fair settlement’ on associate membership, are harming international collaborative research programmes and, ultimately, patients’ access to innovative treatments and devices.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are investing £14 million in a new research programme to investigate challenges in the diagnosis, management and treatment of rare diseases.
Cancer diagnosis and treatment are set to be accelerated with the opening of England’s first Integrated Pathology Unit (IPU). The new facility will apply pioneering digital imaging and artificial intelligence to pathology, assisting clinical trial research programmes focused on developing tests for cancer.
In order to strengthen the UK’s regulatory environment for clinical trials in an increasingly competitive global market, the government plans to prioritise safety and efficacy, while minimising regulatory burdens on trial sponsors.
As part of its plan to make the UK a science and technology superpower by 2030, the government launched its ‘Science and Technology Framework’ on 6 March 2023.
The UK government has published a report outlining progress on the Rare Disease Action Plan 2022, as well as details of the priorities of the Rare Disease Framework for 2023.
