UK and European research collaborations in cancer research have received a vote of confidence by three major cancer charities, with an announcement today of approximately £30 million into six international projects.
Cancer Research UK is partnering with two of Europe's leading cancer research charities, AIRC (Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro) and FC AECC (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer), to invest in six international collaborations, which are aimed at accelerating progress in translational research.
Scientists in the 5-year funded Accelerator Awards* projects will investigate the potential of immunotherapies in treating liver cancer; develop manufacturing methods for CAR-T cell production; track cancer cell evolution; investigate drug resistance in blood cancers; devise a blood test for advanced prostate cancer and find new routes for personalising blood cancer treatment.
As the UK and EU work to form a new relationship after Brexit, the awards are an example of how funding organisations are seeking to continue to collaborate post-Brexit to drive research forward.
Dr Iain Foulkes, executive director of research and innovation at Cancer Research UK, said: "No single organisation or country is going to beat cancer on its own. Research must be prioritised as the UK builds a new relationship with the EU, as much-needed breakthroughs in treatment are dependent on collective action from the international research community.
"Our Accelerator Award funding will lay the groundwork for a Europe and UK research pipeline, boosting our life sciences industry, and ensuring basic biological research translates into new innovative treatments in future."
Each collaboration is aiming to deepen our understanding of cancer and bring us closer to new treatments, making use of the expertise and diverse technologies of the different partner organisations. UK scientists are leading two of the funded programmes, Italian scientists are leading three, and one by a Spanish researcher.
The scope of these awards brings together world-class researchers who would not have previously been able to work together without this funding available. A number of the grants are also focused on training the next generation of early career scientists and clinicians so that the expertise is developed to carry this research forward.
Federico Caligaris Cappio, AIRC scientific director, said: "Cancer research must innovate relentlessly to understand and deal with the complexity of cancer. This requires more investment, coordinated interdisciplinary research and international collaborations, because cancer doesn't know borders, and research has to overcome them. The partnership with Cancer Research UK and FC AECC has allowed us to fund collaborative projects that promote the development of international networks and the creation of new research tools that could not be done independently at the national level."
Isabel Orbe, general director of the FC AECC, said: "A global collaboration is needed to accelerate results in cancer research. This charity partnership will provide tools to support researchers in an international framework, helping them to create multidisciplinary networks and support the research of new unexplored areas. Moreover, this call looks to improve cancer research in a global manner and with a clear focus on the patients, with the final aim of defeating cancer."
Accelerator Award projects include:
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For media enquiries contact Carl Alexander in the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 3469 8882 or, out of hours, on 07050 264 059.
Notes to editor:
About Cancer Research UK
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About AIRC
The Italian Association for Cancer Research was founded in 1965, the first Italian non-profit association to support scientific research, entirely supported by donations from individuals.
AIRC is today the main private cancer research charity in Italy, thanks to its 4.5 million supporters. In little more than 50 years, together with its Foundation, AIRC has distributed over 1.3 billion euro to cancer research (data updated to 1 January 2018). In 2018 alone, AIRC has made available to the Italian scientific community more than 118 million euro to support 584 research projects, 66 scholarships and other special programs. About 5,000 researchers - a real army of scientists, 63% women, 54% of under 40 - are working to make cancer ever more curable, in laboratories at universities, hospitals and research institutions all over Italy, mainly in public facilities, with a tangible benefit for the country's research and health systems. In addition to supporting innovative scientific projects, AIRC disseminates scientific information and promotes the culture of prevention among the lay community.
About FC AECC
The Spanish Association Against Cancer, AECC, is a private non-profit organization which has been working since 1953 to fight cancer. The AECC is integrated by patients, families, volunteers and professionals who work together to prevent, raise awareness, accompany cancer patients and their families and fund cancer research projects that will enable better diagnosis and treatment of cancer.