BMJ  2003;327:1041-1043 (1 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7422.1041

Education and debate

Resuscitating clinical research in the United Kingdom

¹ Office of the Regius Professor, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford PX3 9DU regius@medical-sciences-office.oxford.ac.uk

Clinical research in Britain is in decline. A new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences sets out the action urgently needed to revitalise it

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Our knowledge of the basic mechanisms of disease has increased greatly over the past 20 years. A substantial gulf remains, however, between basic discoveries and converting such discoveries into innovations that can be applied to patients. This translational barrier can be bridged only through clinical research. Concerned at the state of clinical research in the United Kingdom, the Academy of Medical Sciences established a working group to identify the problems and suggest solutions.

The working group's report focuses on serious weakness in two key areas: experimental medicine and clinical trials (box). Up until the 1970s, the United Kingdom was internationally recognised for its contribution to characterising diseases by careful examination and testing in patients. However, the development of methods to investigate the molecular and genetic basis of disease has since shifted research away from the bedside and into the laboratory. The surge in activity in molecular science has led to . . . [Full text of this article]

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