MPs have accused the UK largest public funder of medical research of poor decision-making and financial mismanagement.

A report by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee concludes that the Medical Research Council has squandered cash on some projects while some with strong potential have been passed over.

The MPs say the body is renowned across the world for the high quality of its science, but that its scientists have been let down by the decisions of administrators.

Dr Ian Gibson, Committee Chairman, said: "Something has gone badly wrong at the MRC, which has left Britain best medical research groups starved of funds. Our report shows why scrutiny of British science is so badly needed."

The Committee says the UK Biobank project, set up to collect and store genetic details of half a million people, is one example of the mismanagement.

It claims the initiative, funded by a £45 million grant from the MRC, was set up without the full support of the public and research community.

It also accuses the project of being a 'top-down' idea, with its scientific value not being properly balanced against other potential funding options.

Defending its record, the MRC says the Committee has failed to understand that many of its long-term strategic plans may well not prove popular in the short-term.

A spokesman said: he report does not give adequate recognition to the fact that our mission is to promote medical research with a view to improving human health.

"This involves planning long-term and funding research on a long-term basis and we consider that this approach is in the national interest. We do not accept the committee's criticisms of our planning process."

The spokesman compared the Biobank project to the MRC's long-term funding of molecular biology, the usefulness of which only emerged with the mapping of the human genome.

"A similar issue arises with UK Biobank today. We strongly refute the committee suggestion that UK Biobank is a 'politically driven project'.  It is being established to use the information generated by the human genome project to improve the health of the public and meet the research needs of the scientific community in their efforts to develop better healthcare."

The Government will publish a formal response to the report later this year.

pharmafocus@pharmafile.co.uk