What will leaving the EU mean for medical and scientific research?

Analysis: Brexit will have an impact both on patients needing drug trials and academics seeking funding, says health correspondent Alex Matthews-King

Researchers working on treatments for rare diseases among those whose careers remain uncertain (Getty)

Theresa May has pledged to put medical research and biosciences at the heart of the UK economy, delivering thousands of jobs and innovations that can save lives.

But with Brexit less than three months away and polls showing a majority of Conservative Party members would prefer a no-deal Brexit to the prime minister’s plan, anxiety among scientists, research institutions and patients whose treatment depends on international drug trials is growing.

Last year The Independent spoke to Nick Sireau, who quit his job to help drive research into alkaptonuria, also known as black bone disease, after his two sons were diagnosed with the genetic disorder which affects just 88 people in the UK.