Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to research into the treatment of Crohn’s disease.

Jane Ellison

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to treatment of Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR has awarded nearly £1.5 million over five years to August 2018 for a research professorship at the University of Oxford. This is focussed on re-defining Crohn’s disease at a molecular level to identify new biomarkers and therapies.

The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme is seeking to commission a systematic review looking at whether patients can be identified who may need early intensive treatment in Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently recruiting patients to six studies relating to treatment of Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.