Cancer Research UK will award up to £123 million over a seven-year funding commitment to the Beatson Institute. The investment will bolster Scotland as a major global hub for cancer research and help the recruitment of international talent.
In recognition of the success of the Institute as a national centre of excellence, the charity will also change the name of the institute to the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute.
Professor Owen Sansom, Director of the newly re-named Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, said: “This recognition of the hard work and determination of our researchers to find new ways to tackle cancer, represents an unprecedented vote of confidence in Scotland’s scientific prowess.”
The funding for the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute will support around 300 researchers and 100 support staff across 30 research groups.
“Our world-class teams are focusing on a wide range of research,” said Professor Sansom. “From investigating the very roots of why cancer begins, to finding new less-invasive ways of screening and testing for the disease, as well as innovative ways to use imaging technology to monitor the progress of cancers and the effectiveness of treatment to ensure better outcomes for everyone.”
There are several key themes to the research undertaken at the CRUK Scotland Institute, including cellular metabolism in cancer and ways to target this for cancer therapy, the tumour microenvironment in metastasis and cancer reoccurrence and the biology of early disease to develop ‘precision prevention’ approaches.
Institutes like this one in Scotland alongside others in London, Cambridge and Manchester are CRUK’s major investment in discovery science, providing long-term support for innovative research into fundamental cancer biology.
Executive director of research & innovation at Cancer Research UK, Dr Iain Foulkes, said: “The long-term nature of these investments – which support world-class facilities, technological platforms and research programmes – gives researchers the freedom and resources to pursue novel ideas. Combined with the networking opportunities helping to foster collaborations, our institutes are leading the way towards future patient benefit and putting discovery at the heart of this endeavour.”
