Log in
Our research on cannabis, ketamine and MDMA (ecstasy) has used pioneering methods to provide a unique new evidence-base on which illegal drugs can be evaluated. This work has influenced government policy and legal proceedings in the UK and abroad. We have engaged widely with drug users, other members of the public, drug services and the media to disseminate our findings widely, and increase public knowledge of the topic. Our research on the effects of recreational drug use thus has changed national and international media discourse about this topic, and has increased public awareness and engagement.
The Emotional Test Battery (ETB) was developed by Goodwin, Harmer and others in Oxford from 1998 onwards. Notably, a person's performance on the ETB is sensitive to single doses of antidepressant drugs, even in healthy subjects, and without any change in mood. The ETB has played a key role in the success of P1Vital, a Clinical Research Organisation for experimental medicine, set up in 2004. The ETB has been responsible for ~60% of its business since 2008, worth over £9.5M and with 10 jobs created. Through P1Vital, the ETB has become a key part of the testing process for new antidepressants for several pharmaceutical companies, allowing substantial cost and time savings. For one antidepressant, the ETB results changed understanding of how the drug worked, and shaped its marketing.
A team at the University of Liverpool has undertaken research that has informed practice and policy worldwide in the management of patients presenting with newly diagnosed epilepsy, which has achieved international impact on health. Seizures are common and 3-5% of the population will be given a diagnosis of epilepsy during their lifetime. Decisions about when to start treatment, and if so with which drug are crucial and can have a significant effect on outcomes for the individual and have significant economic consequences for society. The research includes the undertaking and analysis of data from randomised controlled trials. The data analysis is based on the statistical research initiated by Dr Paula Williamson while in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Liverpool between 1996 and 2000. The research identified the most appropriate first line treatments for patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy, addressing both clinical and cost effectiveness. This work has underpinned national policy and triggered the most recent update of the NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) epilepsy guidelines in 2012.
Research conducted by UEL's Drugs and Addictive Behaviours Research Group (DAB) and the UEL Institute for Research in Child Development (IRCD) from 1990-2012 has provided key information about the neuro-psychological risks of the use of the drug MDMA (Ecstasy).This information has been used by the US and UK governments, medical professionals and public information organisations. The research was included in the UK government Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD, 2009) review of MDMA effects and informed government and public debate on the legal classification of MDMA. It has also supported associated debates around the potential harmful effects of MDMA. Subsequent media and public engagement with those debates has contributed to increased public awareness of the effects and risks of MDMA and engaged new audiences with important social and scientific issues. More recent research has informed parents and medical practitioners about the potential harmful effects of MDMA on specific aspects of infant functioning when taken during pregnancy.
Cardiff University research quantifying the association between cannabis use and increased risk of psychosis has transformed the global debate on cannabis use and continues to shape governmental policies, guidelines and public attitude internationally. Cardiff's findings regarding the effects of cannabis use on mental health are both widely cited in the media and commonly used worldwide as information sources when delivering public health educational material. Cardiff research demonstrated that cannabis use is the only individual-specific, modifiable risk factor known for schizophrenia. Results were used to calculate that, in the UK alone, approximately 15% of cases of schizophrenia are preventable if cannabis were to be eliminated from the population.
Dalgleish proposed a programme to develop thalidomide analogues for their immunomodulatory and anti-neoplastic actions. Working with a small start-up company, Celgene, several analogues including lenalidomide and pomalidomide were developed and entered clinical trials. Both drugs significantly prolong patient survival in myeloma and myelodysplasia and have received FDA and NICE approval for these purposes. Celgene has grown into a large multi-national company with over 5000 employees. Lenalidomide sales were $3.8 billion in 2012.
Research at the University of Aberdeen has directly contributed to the development of the cannabis-based medicine, Sativex®, which was licensed in the UK in 2010 for relieving neuropathic pain and spasticity of multiple sclerosis (MS), removing the need for patients to self-medicate with illegal, "unregulated" cannabis. The research has both enhanced patient welfare and promoted collaboration with industry. Several other countries have also approved Sativex®. Apart from such direct benefits, the research has also increased understanding of the benefits of cannabis-based medicines among the general public, and the main researcher has advised the Home Office on pertinent legislation. Therefore the claimed impact here includes benefits to health and welfare guidelines and on the public understanding of science. In addition industry has invested in research and development and a new product has been commercialised.
Our research on alternatives to medication in the treatment of childhood epilepsy has resulted in increasing rates of surgery with better outcomes, and a new clinical service — the national Children's Epilepsy Surgery Service (CESS) — being commissioned in England and Wales. We have also developed an evidence base for ketogenic dietary therapy, resulting in an increase in service provision. Many more patients are benefiting from this therapy, which is now recommended in NICE guidelines. Throughout our programme of research we have engaged with charities and patient groups to disseminate the results of our research as widely as possible.
Research at King's College London (KCL) showed that use of cannabis, especially high potency types such as `Skunk', increases the risk of psychosis. The work has demonstrated that adolescents who start early and carry some genetic vulnerability are at highest risk and that experimental cannabis administration alters brain function and induces transient psychosis. KCL research has led to increased public awareness of the adverse effects of cannabis use on mental health, in the UK and abroad, and sparked a public debate in the UK on the legal status of the drug ending with the Government reclassifying cannabis from Category C to Category B. KCL research on brain function has facilitated a collaboration with industry to develop new psychiatric medication.
Research into impaired cognitive performance related to drug misuse began at Edge Hill University (EHU) in 1998. It has predominantly concentrated upon impairments related to use of the illegal drug `ecstasy' (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine: MDMA), although some has focussed upon cannabis related impairments in order to identify which of these drugs was related to a specific performance decrement. The impacts presented arise from contributions to policy development through the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), the consultation response team of the British Psychological Society (BPS), media debate drawing upon our research, and through informing the design of a drug use prevention campaign.