Life-changing research into cancer will continue on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus for the next five years as Cancer Research UK (CRUK) announced £22.5million funding for its Cambridge Centre.
The scientists working at the centre are also part of the team working on the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH), which will be built on the Cambridge University Hospitals site.
The CRUK Cambridge Centre has been chosen as one of seven centres in the UK for funding. It is home to ground-breaking innovations like the cytosponge, or ‘sponge on a string’ pill, that helps detect 10 times more cases of Barrett’s oesophagus, a condition which can lead to oesophageal cancer, than the usual GP route
Professor Richard Gilbertson, Director of the CRUK Cambridge Centre and one of the CCRH Project leads said: “We’ve had a challenging year and COVID-19 has slowed us down. But we will not stop working hard to find new treatments for cancer, and this investment will give us the tools we need to deliver high quality research that will make the biggest difference for patients.
This investment means we will be able to further develop our work in translational research – getting cutting-edge discoveries from the laboratory to patients and learning as much as possible from patients to initiate new research
Professor Richard Gilbertson
The CCRH project has now had the first stage of its business case (the Strategic Outline Case) approved by the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England & NHS Improvement. The approval of the Strategic Outline Case provides backing for the CCRH scheme as part of the government’s commitment to build 40 new hospitals by 2030, with construction set to begin in 2023.
CCRH will bring together clinical expertise at Addenbrooke’s Hospital with world-class scientists across the University of Cambridge and the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre. Together, they will work in the heart of new clinic and hospital spaces, bringing the research bench to the bedside.
Find out more on the CCRH website (opens in a new tab) and on the CRUK Cambridge Centre website (opens in a new tab).