Brussels, 10 May 2004

The UK government has launched a new foresight project on brain science, addiction and drugs, bringing together government, industry, academia, research funding organisations and health professionals.

Identifying addiction genes, new treatments for addiction and the possibility of individually tailored drugs are just a few of the issues to be investigated during the project.

The project will also look 20 years into the future and attempt to assess the possible opportunities and risks arising from rapid advances in brain science and drugs.

'Developments in this cutting edge field of brain science have brought many benefits and opportunities, but new advances also create new risks, dilemmas and problems,' said UK Health Minister, Lord Warner.

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'Over the next 20 years the genetic causes of addiction will become clearer, medical treatments could be tailored to suit and individual's addiction risk, and brain enhancing drugs could become more widely used,' added Sir David King, the UK government's Chief Scientific Adviser.

The outcomes of the project will be presented in summer 2005.

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