£5.5m cash boost from Cancer Research UK

Cardiff University is set to receive a major cash boost for pioneering research into cancer.

Cancer Research UK is planning to invest more than £5.5m over the next five years in ground-breaking work at the Centre for Trials Research.

The grant will allow doctors and scientists to continue researching and testing better and kinder treatments for patients.

The Centre for Trials Research combines world class research and medical expertise to provide the best possible results for cancer patients. Home to leading academics including researchers, trial managers, data managers and statisticians, it is a vital part of the Cancer Research UK’s research network, helping shape the clinical research landscape in the UK and internationally.

Professor Richard Adams, Cardiff’s Director of Cancer Trials, said: “We are very proud that Cardiff has been given this grant. Our clinical research enables us to translate discoveries from the lab and improve cancer treatments, giving more patients the best chance of beating their disease.

He continued: “Clinical trials are vital to test new treatments. For example, we are running trials in oesophageal cancer, head and neck cancers and blood cancer.”

The research includes the AML19 trial for young adults with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) – an aggressive type of blood cancer.

Professor Robert Hills, Cardiff’s Deputy Director of Cancer Trials, who is leading the Leukaemia trials, said: “As a result of our research, we have seen a transformation in the way this type of cancer can be treated..."

The latest funding announcement follows a major review by the charity of all its Cancer Research UK Cancer Trials Units. This has resulted in £45million being invested into eight units across the UK, one of the charity’s largest investments in clinical research to date.

The review was conducted by an international panel of experts and the competition was fierce.

Ruth Amies, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for Wales, said: “This crucial investment recognises the fantastic research taking place in Cardiff. It ensures researchers can take full advantage of our most promising scientific discoveries and translate them into new tests and treatments for patients.

“One-in-two of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives - so it’s reassuring to know that, thanks to our supporters, Cancer Research UK is able to fund some of the best and most promising research here in Wales, to help more people survive.

Ruth continued: “There are so many ways to support Cancer Research UK’s lifesaving work, from signing up to Walk All Over Cancer in March to entering Race for Life, with events taking place at locations all around Wales from May through to September; or giving time to volunteer in our shops.”

“Survival has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress – but every step our doctors, nurses and scientists take relies on donations from the public and the tireless fundraising of our supporters.”