Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the United Kingdom’s capacity to conduct research into mesothelioma and associated diseases.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has invited researchers to apply for mesothelioma research funding, in particular to address the research questions identified through the Mesothelioma Priority Setting Partnership and published in December 2014. Eight NIHR programmes are participating in this themed call, including the NIHR fellowships programme which supports outstanding individuals to become the health research leaders of the future.

The NIHR funds infrastructure capacity for experimental medicine to translate scientific developments into benefits for patients. Such infrastructure supporting studies in mesothelioma includes biomedical research centres and units, clinical research facilities, and experimental cancer medicine centres. The NIHR funds infrastructure capacity for later phase trials and studies through the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN). The CRN is currently recruiting to seven studies in mesothelioma.