Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Oral Answer of 20 March 2018, Official Report, column 156, on motor neurone disease, which projects received that £52 million investment; and which 24 clinical trials are being recruited to.

In 2016-17, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) invested £52.2 million into health research covered by the ‘Neurological conditions’ category of the UK Health Research Classification System. This £52.2 million was used to fund and support a range of research studies and research infrastructure for neurological conditions and within that, £4.58 million was spent specifically on Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and closely-related conditions.

The NIHR provides the support, expertise and facilities that the NHS needs to undertake world-leading research funded by the NIHR, and other public, charity and life sciences industry partners, by funding a range of infrastructure facilities.

The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently supporting 19 non-commercial studies and clinical trials on MND and closely-related conditions which are open and recruiting participants. The non-commercial studies are listed in the table below. There are currently two commercial studies which are also recruiting participants.

In 2016-17, the NIHR Research Infrastructure supported 23 studies and trials on MND and closely-related conditions in the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, Units and other research infrastructure. The majority of these studies have been funded by research charities including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, other research funders and the life sciences industry.

NIHR Clinical Research Network supported Non-Commercial studies on MND and closely-related conditions which are open and recruiting participants