The plans for a monitoring study on patients being treated with Pentosan Polysulphate (PPS) for CJD and variant CJD have received a favourable opinion from the Eastern Multi-Centre Research Ethics Committee. This follows a provisional opinion from the committee in August.

Consultant neurologist Professor Ian Bone from the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow will now lead the study, which will gather clinical information to help evaluate the potential of PPS as a treatment for CJD.

MRC announced that it would set up a monitoring study of PPS in March 2005. The protocol for the study has been developed following consultation with the families of patients being treated with PPS.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK tax-payer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the academic world. MRC has funded work that has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC's expenditure of approximately ?500 million is invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and Centres. The remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical schools.

Web site at: http://www.mrc.ac.uk.