ConferenceThe research which health charities fund can make a dramatic difference to patients' lives, a conference in Dublin heard yesterday. The conference was aimed at encouraging more charities to do research and to provide them with the information they need to get started.
"Patient groups and research charities play a vital role in stimulating research into diseases for which there are no treatments," said Mr Michael Griffith, chairman of the Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG). "It is also vital to ensure the fastest possible progress towards developing therapies for unmet needs," said Mr Griffith.
MRCG offers support and information to charities interested in developing a research programme. It counts a wide range of organisations among its members, such as the Adelaide & Meath Hospital, Crumlin Children's Hospital, The Irish Heart Foundation and the Diabetes Federation of Ireland.
Speaking at the seminar, David Doran, chief executive of the Children's Medical & Research Foundation, Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin, detailed some of the research his charity conducted which ended the need for complicated surgery on children with severe kidney damage.
The procedure, developed by the hospital's research programme, is now internationally recognised and has replaced a complicated surgical procedure and a week-long stay in hospital with a 15-minute outpatient procedure.
The conference organisers said the R&D process was becoming more and more costly for charities to bear and the seminar provided information on attracting the support of an industry partner, the medical community and the general public. The joint approach of the MRCG makes it easier for charities to have an effect on policy, legislative and environmental issues affecting research outcomes and implementation of findings, according to MRCG.
The MRCG also represents the interest of patients and its members on various statutory committees.