The
Medical Research Council (MRC) is a
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
organisation dedicated to "improve human health through world-class medical research".
The MRC is one of seven
Research CouncilThe UK Research Councils, of which there are currently seven, are publicly-funded agencies responsible for co-ordinating and funding particular areas of research, including the arts, humanities, all areas of science and engineering...
s and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the
Department for Innovation, Universities and SkillsThe Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the disbanded departments of Education and Skills and Trade and Industry, and merged in June 2009 in to the newly formed Department for Business,...
(DIUS) since June 2007. (Previously to the Office of Science and Innovation, part of the
Department of Trade and IndustryThe Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was replaced with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on 28 June 2007.The department was...
).
It is governed by a council of 14 members, which convenes every two months.
The
Medical Research Council (MRC) is a
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
organisation dedicated to "improve human health through world-class medical research".
Organisation
The MRC is one of seven
Research CouncilThe UK Research Councils, of which there are currently seven, are publicly-funded agencies responsible for co-ordinating and funding particular areas of research, including the arts, humanities, all areas of science and engineering...
s and is answerable to, although politically independent from, the
Department for Innovation, Universities and SkillsThe Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was a UK government department created on 28 June 2007 to take over some of the functions of the disbanded departments of Education and Skills and Trade and Industry, and merged in June 2009 in to the newly formed Department for Business,...
(DIUS) since June 2007. (Previously to the Office of Science and Innovation, part of the
Department of Trade and IndustryThe Department of Trade and Industry was a United Kingdom government department which was replaced with the announcement of the creation of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills on 28 June 2007.The department was...
).
It is governed by a council of 14 members, which convenes every two months. Daily management is in the hands of the Chief Executive. Members of the council also chair specialist boards on specific areas of research. For specific subjects, the council convenes committees.
The MRC funds research centres, three main institutes (in
CambridgeThe city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen....
,
Mill HillMill Hill is a place in the London Borough of Barnet It is a suburb situated 9 miles north west of Charing Cross, in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Middlesex...
and
HammersmithHammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London approximately 5 miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
) and 35 smaller units nationwide. Overseas facilities are located in Gambia and
UgandaThe Republic of Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania...
.
History
The MRC started as the
Medical Research Committee in 1913, its prime role being the distribution of medical research funds under the terms of the 1911 National Insurance Act. This was a consequence of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Tuberculosis, which recommended the creation of a permanent medical research body. The mandate was not limited to tuberculosis, however.
In 1920, it became the Medical Research
Council under
Royal CharterIn medieval Europe, royal charters were used to create cities . The date that such a charter was granted is considered to be when a city was "founded", regardless of when the locality originally began to be settled.At one time a royal charter was the only way in which an incorporated body could be...
. A supplementary Charter was formally approved by the Queen on 17 July 2003.
Landmark research
Important early work carried out under MRC auspices was:
- Identification of the dietary cause of rickets
Rickets is a softening of bones in children potentially leading to fractures and deformity. Rickets is among the most frequent childhood diseases in many developing countries. The predominant cause is a vitamin D deficiency, but lack of adequate calcium in the diet may also lead to rickets...
by Sir Edward MellanbyProfessor Edward Mellanby, GBE, KCB, MD, FRCP, FRS discovered vitamin D and the role of the vitamin in preventing rickets in 1919...
- Discovery, in 1918, that influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals. The name influenza is Italian and means "influence"...
is caused by a virusA virus is an infectious agent too small to be seen directly with a light microscope. They are not made of cells and can only replicate inside the cells of another organism . Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
- Description of neurotransmission
Neurotransmission , also called synaptic transmission, is an electrical movement within synapses caused by a propagation of nerve impulses...
and the first neurotransmitterNeurotransmitters are endogenous chemicals which relay, amplify, and modulate signals between a neuron and another cell. Neurotransmitters are packaged into synaptic vesicles that cluster beneath the membrane on the presynaptic side of a synapse, and are released into the synaptic cleft, where they...
, acetylcholineThe chemical compound acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system and central nervous system in many organisms including humans. Acetylcholine is one of many neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system and the only neurotransmitter used in the motor division...
, by Sir Henry Hallett DaleSir Henry Hallett Dale, OM, GBE, FRS was an English pharmacologist. For his study of acetylcholine as agent in the chemical transmission of nerve impulses he shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Otto Loewi.-Biography:Dale was born in London, England...
and Otto LoewiOtto Loewi was a German pharmacologist whose discovery of acetylcholine helped enhance medical therapy. The discovery earned for him the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1936 which he shared with Sir Henry Dale. He has been referred to as the "Father of Neuroscience."-Biography:Loewi was...
, leading to a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1936;
- Development of penicillin
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi. Penicillin antibiotics are historically significant because they are the first drugs that were effective against many previously serious diseases such as syphilis and Staphylococcus infections...
by Sir Alexander FlemingSir Alexander Fleming was a Scottish biologist and pharmacologist. Fleming published many articles on bacteriology, immunology and chemotherapy...
, Sir Ernst Boris ChainSir Ernst Boris Chain was a German-born British biochemist, and a 1945 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on penicillin....
and Lord FloreyHoward Walter Florey, Baron Florey OM, FRS was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Ernst Boris Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in the extraction of penicillin...
, gaining them the 1945 Nobel Prize;
- Linkage of lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. This growth may lead to metastasis, which is the invasion of adjacent tissue and infiltration beyond the lungs. The vast majority of primary lung cancers are carcinomas of the lung, derived from epithelial cells...
to tobacco smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the vapors either tasted or inhaled. The practice began as early as 5000–3000 BC. Many civilizations burnt incense during religious rituals, which was later adopted for pleasure or as a social tool. Tobacco was introduced to the old world...
by Sir Richard DollSir William Richard Shaboe Doll CH OBE FRS was a British physiologist who became the foremost epidemiologist of the 20th century, turning the subject into a rigorous science. He was a pioneer in research linking smoking to health problems...
and Sir Austin Bradford HillSir Austin Bradford Hill FRS , English epidemiologist and statistician, pioneered the randomized clinical trial and, together with Richard Doll, was the first to demonstrate the connection between cigarette smoking and lung cancer....
in the British doctors studyThe British doctors study is the generally accepted name of a prospective cohort study which has been running from 1951 to 2001, and in 1956 provided convincing statistical proof that tobacco smoking increased the risk of lung cancer.-Context:...
, published in 1956;
- Discovery of the structure of DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
by James D. WatsonJames Dewey Watson, born April 6, 1928, in Chicago, Illinois, is an American molecular biologist, best known as one of the two co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, with Francis Crick in 1953...
, Francis CrickFrancis Harry Compton Crick OM FRS , was a British molecular biologist, physicist, and neuroscientist, and most noted for being one of two co-discoverers of the structure of the DNA molecule in 1953, together with James D. Watson. He, James D...
, Rosalind FranklinRosalind Elsie Franklin was an English biophysicist, physicist, chemist, biologist and X-ray crystallographer who made contributions to the understanding of the fine molecular structures of DNA, RNA, viruses, coal and graphite. Franklin is best known for her work on the X-ray diffraction images of...
and Professor Maurice WilkinsMaurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins CBE FRS was an English molecular biologist, and Nobel Laureate who contributed research in the fields of phosphorescence, radar, isotope separation, and X-ray diffraction. He was most widely known for his work at King's College London on the structure of DNA...
. They would receive the 1962 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine for their discovery.
- Development of magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic Resonance Imaging , or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , is primarily a medical imaging technique most commonly used in radiology to visualize the internal structure and function of the body...
in 1973 by Professor Peter MansfieldSir Peter Mansfield, FRS, , is a British physicist who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging . The Nobel Prize was shared with Paul Lauterbur, who also contributed to the development of MRI...
and independently by Paul LauterburPaul Christian Lauterbur was an American chemist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2003 with Peter Mansfield for his work which made the development of magnetic resonance imaging possible.Dr...
. This would lead to the 2003 Nobel Prize.
- Development of monoclonal antibodies by César Milstein
César Milstein was an Argentine biochemist in the field of antibody research. Milstein shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984 with Niels K. Jerne and Georges Köhler.-Biography:...
and Georges Köhler in 1975 (1984 Nobel Prize)
- The identification, in 1983, of folic acid
Folic acid and folate , as well as pteroyl-L-glutamic acid and pteroyl-L-glutamate, are forms of the water-soluble vitamin B
9...
as a preventive measure for spina bifidaSpina bifida is a developmental birth defect caused by the incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to stick out through the...
and neural tube defects
- Large studies, in the 1970s and 1980s, showing that aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication....
can decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseaseCardiovascular disease or cardiovascular diseases is the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels ....
.
- The publication of the genome
In modern molecular biology the genome refers to all of its hereditary information encoded in DNA .The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA. The term was adapted in 1920 by Hans Winkler, Professor of Botany at the University of Hamburg, Germany...
of C. elegans, the first multicellular organism to receive this treatment, in 1998.
- The ongoing Heart Protection Study
The Heart Protection Study was a large randomized controlled trialrun by the Clinical Trial Service Unit, and fundedby the Medical Research Council and the British Heart Foundation in the United Kingdom...
, showing benefits of primary prevention with simvastatinSimvastatin , is a hypolipidemic drug belonging to the class of pharmaceuticals called "statins". It is used to control hypercholesterolemia and to prevent cardiovascular disease...
in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease.
In all, scientists associated with the MRC have received 22 Nobel Prizes in both Medicine or Physiology and Chemistry.
CEOs
As Chief Executive Officers (originally secretaries) served:
- 1914-33: Sir Walter Morley Fletcher
Sir Walter Morley Fletcher, KBE was a British physiologist and administrator. Fletcher graduated from Trinity College, University of Cambridge and was most significant in his administration of the Medical Research Council during the interwar years...
- 1933-49: Sir Edward Mellanby
Professor Edward Mellanby, GBE, KCB, MD, FRCP, FRS discovered vitamin D and the role of the vitamin in preventing rickets in 1919...
- 1949-68: Sir Harold Himsworth
- 1968-77: Sir John Gray
-Born 18th century:*John Gray , member of the North Carolina General Assembly*John Gray , president of the Bank of Montreal...
- 1977-87: Sir James Gowans
James Gowans was a Scottish rugby union international.In 1891, Gowans played a first-class cricket match for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Cambridge University. Playing as a wicket-keeper, he top scored in their first innings with 40 and wasn't required to bat in the second...
- 1987-96: Sir Dai Rees
- 1996-2003: Professor Sir George Radda
Professor Sir George Charles Radda was born in 1936 in Hungary. In 1956, he attended Merton College, Oxford to study chemistry. His early work was concerned with the development and use of fluorescent probes for the study of structure and function of membranes and enzymes...
- 2003-2007: Professor Colin Blakemore
Colin Blakemore is a British neurobiologist specializing in vision. He was formerly chief executive of the British Medical Research Council . He is best known to the public as a communicator of science but also as the target of a long-running animal-rights campaign...
- 2007-Present: Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz
Sir Leszek K Borysiewicz, KBE, is a British physician, immunologist and scientific administrator. He is currently chief executive of the United Kingdom's Medical Research Council....
Institutes, Centres and Units
Birmingham
- Centre for Immune Regulation
Brighton
- Centre in Genome Damage and Stability
Bristol
- Centre for Synaptic Plasticity
- Centre for Causal Analyses in Translational Epidemiology
Cambridge
- Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute
- Biostatistics Unit (BSU)
- Cancer Cell Unit
- Centre for Nutritional Epidemiology in Cancer Prevention and Survival (CNC)
- Centre for Obesity and Related Metabolic Diseases
- Centre for Protein Engineering
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
- Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit
The Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit is a branch of the UK Medical Research Council. Based in Cambridge, England since its creation during World War II it remains at the forefront of its field.-Current events:...
(CBU) - formerly known as the Applied Psychology Unit (APU)
- Collaborative Centre for Human Nutrition Research
- Dunn Human Nutrition Unit
The Dunn Human Nutrition Unit is an institution of the Medical Research Council based at the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site in Cambridge, England. The unit is studying the fundamental processes of human nutrition, especially in energy metabolism, the involvement of these processes in human disease and...
- Epidemiology Unit
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology
The Laboratory of Molecular Biology is a research institute in Cambridge, England, which was at the forefront of the revolution in molecular biology which occurred in the 1950–60s, since then it remains a major medical research laboratory with a much broader focus.-Early beginnings: 1947-61:Max...
(LMB)
Edinburgh
- Human Genetics Unit
The Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit is situated at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. It is one of the largest MRC research establishments, housing over two hundred scientists, support staff, research fellows, PhD students, and visiting workers.-Directors:* 1956 - 1969 Dr...
- Human Reproductive Sciences Unit
- Centre for Inflammation Research (with the University of Edinburgh)
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (with the University of Edinburgh)
Glasgow
- MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities...
Leicester
- MRC Toxicology Unit (University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research led university based in Leicester, England, with approximately 20,000 registered students - about 13,000 of them full-time students and 7,000 part-time and/or distance learning...
)
London
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, home of the National Survey of Health & Development
The MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing established in 2008 is the new home of the National Survey of Health and Development .The National Survey of Health & Development is a Medical Research Council longitudinal survey of people born in Britain in May 1946...
- MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, King's College London
King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
- MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London
King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
- MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, King's College London
King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
- MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, King's College London
King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
- MRC Centre for Social Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, King's College London
King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
- MRC Centre for Transplantation, King's College London
King's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
- MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC)
- MRC Cell Biology Unit, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London
University College London is a British university institution and a constituent college of the University of London, based primarily in Bloomsbury, London...
Oxford
- Didcot (Harwell) MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit
- Didcot (Harwell) MRC Mary Lyon Centre
- Didcot (Harwell) MRC Administration
Mill Hill
- National Institute for Medical Research
The National Institute For Medical Research, commonly abbreviated to NIMR, is a large medical research facility situated in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of London, England. It is mainly funded by the Medical Research Council, or MRC, and is its largest establishment and the only one designated as an...
The Gambia, Africa
- Fajara - West Africa Operational Base
- Keneba - Field Site
- Farafenni - Field Site
- Wali Kunda - Field Site
- Basse - Field Site
Guinea Bissau, Africa
External links