Submitted by Administrator on Mon, 13/07/2015 - 15:15
26 June 2015
The Cambridge Cancer Centre has been designated as a Cancer Research UK Major Centre, with an award of an extra £5 million to advance early detection and diagnosis of cancer; the aim being to maximise the chance of survival for cancer patients.
The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre is one of the first to gain Major Centre status, along with Oxford and Manchester. 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 patient benefit.
Research within the Major Centre will focus on integrative cancer medicine and early detection. This will involve expanding both clinical facilities and the infrastructure required to promote and strengthen collaborative research and expand tissue biopsy collection. The Centre will also invest in technology that supports research scientists, such as diagnostics, blood processing, informatics and imaging.
Becoming a Major Centre will also help fund a variety of key staff required to ensure recruitment and support of patients who's samples are essential for advancing early detection research, e.g. research nurses, data managers and laboratory staff.
The 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.