Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

HC Deb 16 March 2004 vol 419 cc245-6W

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding has been set aside for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy; [159977]

(2) if he will make a statement on the research into possible treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. [159976]

Dr. Ladyman

The Genetics White Paper announced investment of up to £3 million to support gene therapy research on single gene disorders. Bids from researchers to access these funds have been received, but are treated in confidence. The specific clinical conditions to be addressed through the funding for research will depend on what bids have been submitted by the research community and how the individual bids stand up to rigorous assessment through peer review.

The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). It is a long-standing and important principle of successive Governments that they do not prescribe the detail of how individual research councils should distribute their resources between competing priorities. In 2001–02, the MRC spent about £2 million on research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.