The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre is a partnership between Cancer Research UK, the University of Cambridge and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It recognises the need for sustainable cancer research in the long term, and will be further investing in training programmes for up and coming scientists.
Funding for the Major Centre includes expanding the clinical facilities and infrastructure necessary to strengthen collaborative research and expand tissue biopsy collection. The Centre will also invest in technology including diagnostics, blood processing, informatics and imaging.
The chances of survival for patients increase significantly if cancer is caught at an early stage and this a priority for the Centre, which will build upon its early detection programmes. Becoming a Major Centre will help fund research nurses, data managers, tissue processing, build patient groups and related sample collections essential for life saving research.
Professor Richard Gilbertson, Li Ka Shing Chair of Oncology in Cambridge and Director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, said: “The designation of the Cambridge Cancer Centre as a Cancer Research UK Major Centre is a tremendous honour and exciting opportunity. This award represents a critical investment in the research infrastructure at Cambridge, equipping us with the key laboratory and clinical research tools needed to advance the understanding and treatment of cancer.”
The Centre will act as a vital research hub for the Cancer Research UK centre network, drawing together expertise, encouraging collaborative research, and bridging the gap between innovative laboratory work and benefits for patients.
Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director for research funding at Cancer Research UK, said: “The development of these Major Centres will accelerate national and international collaborations and improve treatments for patients. In each location we are developing cutting-edge approaches in how we treat the disease, be that the detection of individual tumour cells in the blood that allow us to monitor the disease or precision radiotherapy. With these Centres the UK goes from strength to strength in supporting the best cancer research in the world.”
Adapted from a press release from Cancer Research UK.
The University of Cambridge has received an additional £5 million over two years from Cancer Research UK for the launch of a ‘Major Centre’, focused on integrative cancer medicine and early detection.
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