£12m funding boost for research announced on World Cancer Day

Experts from Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow will receive funding from Cancer Research UK to conduct ground-breaking work as part of a chain of research hubs around the UK.

The £12 million investment over the next five years will be used to accelerate the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre’s work into diagnosing and treating cancers which are among the most prevalent in Scotland, including bowel cancer, mesothelioma, liver cancer and brain tumours.

The Scotland Centre, comprising scientists from Edinburgh and Glasgow, has been chosen as one of just seven locations to secure funding in the latest review of the Cancer Research UK Centres network of excellence.

Understanding cancer

The work taking place in Edinburgh includes Professor Malcolm Dunlop and colleagues studying the faulty genes that underpin bowel cancer. Prof Dunlop’s team is aiming to understand how our genes influence the risk of developing the disease and the chances of surviving it.

Professor Steve Pollard and his team are developing potential new treatments for the most common type of brain tumour in adults, known as glioblastoma multiforme.

Professor Ian TomlinsonCo-Director, Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre, said: “This investment will give us the tools we need to deliver high quality research which will make the biggest difference for patients.

“It 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.

Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation, Cancer Research UK, added: “This past year proves, more than any other, the value of investing in science and medical research, and what can be achieved with collective focus and collaboration.

“Just like science is our route out of the pandemic, science is our route to beating cancer. Despite the impact of the pandemic on the charity’s income, we are funding some of the best and most promising research in Scotland to help more people survive.”