ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH – Fifty years of medical breakthroughs
OUR ORIGINS
Action Medical Research was born out of the concern of a father for his daughter. In 1949, 18-month-old Janet Guthrie was diagnosed with polio. Her father, Duncan, was so distressed by Janet’s illness, and appalled by the lack of knowledge about what was a disease of epidemic proportions, that he used the 7s 6d kept in a tobacco tin under the bed to set up a charity. In 1952 the National Fund for Poliomyelitis Research was established.
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
Research funded by the charity led to the development of the polio vaccine, paving the way for virtual eradication of the disease world-wide. The charity went from strength to strength, with achievements such as the development of hip replacement surgery, introducing ultrasound scanning in pregnancy, the testing of the first rubella vaccine, discovering the importance of folic acid in the prevention of spina bifida, and many breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s, to name a few.A UNIQUE CHARITY
Action Medical Research, as the Charity became known in 2003, remains unique. We have the broadest research remit of any medical charity that relies on voluntary support. Our work is driven by medical need, independent of political or commercial influence. Because we believe that prevention is the most effective form of medicine, much of our work aims to treat the causes rather than just the symptoms of disease and disability.Our work has touched every single person in this country.
FUNDING THE BEST RESEARCH
The Charity has established its reputation by supporting only the best research projects, and a rigorous “peer review” process is in place to ensure that this remains the case. Twice a year we encourage applications from the medical research community, from hospitals and universities all over the UK. Independent referees and specialist panels of medical experts then help us decide which projects are most worthy of support, with the key criterion being that the research findings generated will have the maximum benefit to patients. Typically we are able to support ten to twelve projects in each “grant round”.TOUCHING TINY LIVES
Action Medical Research’s Touching Tiny Lives appeal aims to help sick and vulnerable babies by raising vital funds for new research to help prevent premature birth and life-threatening pregnancy complications. We also need to develop better treatments for babies who require special care. Currently 25 babies die each week in the UK due to complications which can be directly attributed to being born too early. Many more are left with life-long physical and mental disabilities. Premature birth, the UK’s biggest killer of under 1’s,
PAST SUCCESSES
Our Touching Tiny Lives work continues a proud history of Action Medical Research breakthroughs in this area.In the 1960s and 1970s we helped discover the link between folic acid and preventing spina bifida and paved the way for the everyday application of ultrasound during pregnancy.
During the 1990s we supported research that has led to the development of a fetal heart monitor that reads an unborn baby’s heart beat. This can help doctors identify problems in the womb, so they can intervene to protect babies and their mothers. This new device has the potential to benefit the 10 per cent of unborn babies most at risk, a staggering 70,000 babies a year in the UK.
Our achievements have continued beyond 2000. With our funding, scientists have identified the gene responsible for a form of cleft lip and palate. We also supported the development of an infra-red brain scanner that measures oxygen and blood in babies’ brains during labour and delivery, helping prevent brain damage. Also, our researchers have successfully shown that a special cap that cools the brain can minimise brain damage in some newborn babies deprived of oxygen at birth, reducing the risk of death and severe disability. These exciting findings are crucial to the development of further clinical trials and could have a major impact on the care of these babies in the future.
Action Medical Research’s Touching Tiny Lives campaign has funded over 30 different studies, directing £3 million towards beating the problems of pregnancy, childbirth and the early years.