Major Investment in Hep C research

The Medical Research Council - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) has received almost £2 million from the Medical Research Foundation, an independent registered charity established by the Medical Research Council (MRC).The award will fund the setting up of a clinical database of 10,000 patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) which it is hoped will help enable a UK-wide network of researchers to find new ways to tackle the deadly infection.

While there has been considerable progress in the scientific understanding of the disease in recent years, it is currently extremely difficult to effectively track the spread of HCV and to understand the biological roots of the illness. Dr John McLauchlan will lead the project at the MRC - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research in partnership with Professor Will Irving at Nottingham University.

At least 250,000 people in the UK are thought to be infected with the blood-borne virus, which can cause severe liver damage in up to 20 per cent of patients. HCV is ten times easier to contract than HIV, with prisoners and drug users particularly vulnerable to infection.

Dr John McLauchlan said: “With Hepatitis C rates continuing to rise and place an increasing strain on healthcare resources, it’s crucial that we attack this disease on as many fronts as possible. By creating a well-structured resource, we hope that it will stimulate both clinical and fundamental research into HCV infection in the UK and form the basis for many future studies.”