By Bea Perks

LONDON — The push for translational medicine got a boost in the UK last month when the government announced that it would devote £775 million ($1.2 billion) over five years for translational research focusing on high-priority disease areas such as cancer, heart disease and dementia. This funding cycle represents a 30% increase on the first round of such grants, which began in 2007.

“It’s not a massive amount of money, but it’s a realignment of priorities,” says Chris Torrance, chief executive of the translational genomics company Horizon Discovery based in Cambridge, UK. “In a period where other people are taking cuts, it’s significant,” he adds.

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