§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent grants the Government have made available to treating and finding a cure for myeloma; [62687]
(2) what recent research and studies the Government have undertaken to find the cause of multiple myeloma. [62683]
§ Ms BlearsThe main Government agency for research into the causes and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its funding via the Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the national health service.
The MRC is currently funding a clinical trial directly aimed at the treatment of multiple myeloma. The project is entitled `Myeloma IX Trial' and is being carried out at the university of Leeds by Dr. J. A. Child, at a total cost of £1.5 million over eight years.
The Department is funding a project entitled targeted treatment of multiple myeloma using gene and protein expression profiling. This is being carried out at the university of Leeds by Dr. F. E. Davies at a total cost of £463,000 over five years.
Other research projects into the causes and treatment of cancer may also be relevant to myeloma. There have been no Government grants for the treatment of myeloma, other than in national health service allocations, and these are not separately identified.