Guy Opperman Member of Parliament for Hexham has met with Will Dracup, CEO of the Early Diagnostics Institute to support healthcare innovation and research in the North East.
The Early Diagnostics Institute is a £210m national flagship science and healthcare project, working in partnership with the NHS Trusts and Universities of the North East and the National Horizons Centre.
It will use early diagnosis to contribute significantly to the UK government's goal of ensuring that people can enjoy at least five extra healthy, independent years of life by 2035.
The Early Diagnostics Institute’s mission is to build five novel early diagnostic blood tests, test and implement them in the NHS, and in a unique addition, will then sell them world-wide under the NHS brand.
Located in and building on existing strengths across the North East, the Early Diagnostics Institute will target diseases associated with ageing, especially those with the highest associated human and cost burdens. These will primarily be cancers, diabetes and dementias.
Guy Opperman MP said:
‘’It was brilliant to meet with Will.
The Early Diagnostics Institute is a flagship project right here in the North East that will provide the valuable research for awful debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes and dementia.
As a local MP, I give this project my full support. It is an example of levelling up in action with potential research and development funding coming right here to the North East‘’.
Will Dracup, CEO of the Early Diagnostics Institute said:
"The Early Diagnostics Institute is a fantastic project which I’m delighted to back 100%. It will be transformational for the North East, and for healthcare research across the country.
I’ll do everything I can to ensure that the research funding needed to make this project a reality happens’’.