§ Mr. Ernie Rossasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department is supporting any research work into the suppression of leukotriene production for developing anti-asthma drugs; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. William Shelton:My Department's responsibilities for the support of scientific research are discharged by the research councils, which receive grants-in-aid from the science budget, and by universities, which receive block grants for teaching and research from the University Grants Committee. I understand that the Medical Research Council is currently providing a project grant for the support of a study at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences of the actions of leukotrienes in the lung and circulation and their possible relevance to human disease, and that this work may well make a substantial contribution to our basic knowledge of biology in this field.
Research on leukotrienes is also in progress at the University of London. This research is listed in the publication "Research in British Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges", a copy of which is available in the Library.