£4bn to research killer diseases

The research will build on the work of the Human Genome Project

Britain's largest medical research charity has announced a 60% increase in its spending on investigating the most common killer diseases.

The Wellcome Trust is investing £4bn over the next five years to look into the genetic make-up of heart disease, cancer and other illnesses.

The work will build on the information gleaned from the Human Genome Project.

The trust believes the investment will speed up research, but that it is still unlikely there will be any quick fixes.

BBC science correspondent Pallab Ghosh said the sheer level of investment will make a big difference to the pace and direction of medical research.

He said the research would investigate how some of the world's biggest killers destroy the human body, and that brain diseases and mental illness would also be a priority.

The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 by the will of Sir Henry Wellcome, who left the capital of his successful drug company to be used for on-going medical research.