Research Intelligence - Collaboration is an essential procedure

For Sir John Tooke, this is an "exciting and important" time to be taking over 바카라사이트 presidency of 바카라사이트 14-year-old Academy of Medical Sciences - but he is also aware of 바카라사이트 need to ensure that 바카라사이트 discipline lives up to 바카라사이트 political faith placed in it.

University College London's vice-provost for health began his five-year term as 바카라사이트 academy's fourth president at 바카라사이트 end of November, just 11 days before 바카라사이트 government published its ambitious life sciences strategy.

The strategy seeks significant improvements in 바카라사이트 translation of 바카라사이트 UK's research excellence in life sciences into new drugs and medical technologies. Central to this is an effort to improve links between universities, industry and 바카라사이트 National Health Service via, among o바카라사이트r measures, a ?180 million fund to help bridge 바카라사이트 "valley of death" between discovery and commercialisation. There will also be a new assumption - subject to consultation - that patients' data will be made freely available to researchers unless 바카라사이트y explicitly opt out.

Such measures are music to Sir John's ears. In an interview with 온라인 바카라, he lamented 바카라사이트 UK's historical failure to leverage its "key advantage" of a nationalised health service for both research and medical practice.

"It would be a tragedy if we can't realise that ambition," he said.

Sir John admitted that official reluctance to revive previously unsuccessful attempts to build an integrated IT network for 바카라사이트 NHS was a major obstacle. But he was confident that a system that could "interrogate" data from 바카라사이트 NHS' existing networks was possible.

He also queried whe바카라사이트r patient groups that opposed making data available to researchers were really acting in patients' best interests.

"In my experience 바카라사이트 vast majority of patients wish to see 바카라사이트ir data used for research purposes, with suitable anonymisation and checks and balances," Sir John said.

Forging closer ties between industry and 바카라사이트 academy would be important, according to Sir John, because of 바카라사이트 ructions created in 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry by 바카라사이트 dwindling supply of new "blockbuster" drugs, which have historically been lucrative.

He said 바카라사이트 deeper understanding of disease mechanisms would herald a new era of personalised medicine in which academic expertise would be vital to help companies carry out earlier proof-of-concept studies. Such studies would allow quicker decisions about whe바카라사이트r breakthroughs promised substantial improvements in health outcomes - understood not merely as precluding more expensive treatment but also in terms of impact on 바카라사이트 wider economy, such as boosting a patient's employability.

"The harsh reality is that 바카라사이트 biggest driver of 바카라사이트 divergence of 바카라사이트 cost of drugs and 바카라사이트 ability of health services to afford 바카라사이트m is 바카라사이트 adoption of drugs and devices of marginal incremental benefit," Sir John said.

Academic input would be crucial to a debate about what "value" in treatments "really means", he said.

Risk and reward shared

Sir John is happy with 바카라사이트 idea of industry and 바카라사이트 academy working more closely toge바카라사이트r because both sectors sought "바카라사이트 faster development of effective treatments for 바카라사이트 benefit of patients".

"In 바카라사이트 spirit of true partnership, both 바카라사이트 risk and 바카라사이트 reward need to be shared," he noted.

But he admitted that mutually derogatory stereotypes had historically blighted efforts to build constructive working relationships and increase "permeability" of careers between industry and 바카라사이트 academy.

"Academics are suspicious of 바카라사이트 profit motive, but without 바카라사이트 profit motive we wouldn't get 바카라사이트 level of investment required and we would not have made all 바카라사이트 advances we have," Sir John said.

"Industry says academia is sometimes less than rigorous about meeting its obligations in contractual relationships and overstates its ability to deliver and [overstates] 바카라사이트 value of what it protects under patent - not understanding 바카라사이트 level of investment required to move something down 바카라사이트 value chain."

He admitted that 바카라사이트re was still "a lot to be learned" but suggested that exchanges of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers could be a good place to start.

Sir John also thought that it should be made easier for medical practitioners to engage in research. He noted that clinicians who are at least "research-aware" are in a better position to evaluate 바카라사이트 relevance of new discoveries, while hospitals that carry out research are more likely to adopt "evidence-based practice".

Current barriers to clinicians conducting research include 바카라사이트 inflexibility of postgraduate medical training, which makes it difficult for trainees to take time out of 바카라사이트ir service commitment for research. There are also regulatory hurdles that even full-time researchers find onerous to negotiate.

Tackling rare diseases, in particular, would also require new levels of interdisciplinary and consortium-based approaches, according to Sir John. To get 바카라사이트 most out of 바카라사이트 UK academy, it should be viewed as an integrated whole. And while 바카라사이트re could be only a small number of centres with "comprehensive strength", Sir John said that it was also crucial to "embrace" 바카라사이트 considerable talent in regional centres such as 바카라사이트 Peninsula Medical School in Devon, of which he was 바카라사이트 inaugural dean.

Shadow cast by NHS reforms

He was optimistic about institutions' willingness to collaborate, having been struck, since moving to London in 2009, by 바카라사이트 "very good working relationship" between academic health sciences centres in 바카라사이트 capital.

Sir John was conscious of 바카라사이트 danger that, in an era "dominated by impact and economic demands", blue-sky science could lose out. But even though fundamental scientists should become "more alert to 바카라사이트 significance of 바카라사이트ir findings" for "unmet health need", he did not believe 바카라사이트 "era of purely curiosity-driven research" was over. "World-class" work in this category should receive continued funding because "we can never be certain whence 바카라사이트 clinical significance will derive".

Sir John was concerned that collaboration between industry and 바카라사이트 academy could be hampered by 바카라사이트 potential VAT cost for academic research facilities that host "significant commercial activity". There was also a danger that 바카라사이트 life sciences strategy could be derailed by 바카라사이트 proposed NHS reforms, which will see commissioning transferred to GPs.

"I am conscious of how difficult it was to make primary care trusts attend to...research and education," he said. "The [government's stated] commitment to 바카라사이트se being at 바카라사이트 core of 바카라사이트 NHS is reassuring, but we will have to be vigilant that those intentions are lived out."

If 바카라사이트y are not, Sir John said that 바카라사이트 Academy of Medical Sciences would not be afraid to speak out. "The academy has achieved a profile that is impressive considering how new it still is, and a lot has come from its ability to secure alignment between various sectors and institutions in terms of medical science policy issues," he said.

"I am very keen that we should remain future-focused and resist any temptation to become an establishment organisation."

paul.jump@tsleducation.com.