£3m boost for cancer centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow

Leading charity Cancer Research UK and the Chief Scientist Office plan to invest a total of almost £3 million over the next five years in groundbreaking work at Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs) in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Sarah Glendinning is being treated for breast cancer at Edinburgh ECMC. Photograph: Lesley MartinSarah Glendinning is being treated for breast cancer at Edinburgh ECMC. Photograph: Lesley Martin
Sarah Glendinning is being treated for breast cancer at Edinburgh ECMC. Photograph: Lesley Martin

The cities have been chosen by an international panel of experts as two of just 18 locations in the UK to secure funding in the latest review of the ECMC network.

Scientists at the Edinburgh ECMC are looking for specific genes and proteins in tissue and blood samples from breast cancer patients that could act as markers to help them identify which cancers are more likely to respond to chemotherapy.

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They hope that by doing this they will be able to tell very early on whether chemotherapy is working or not. This could help some women avoid having chemotherapy before surgery – and the side effects that go with it – if it is less likely to work for them.

The ECMCs aim to bring better treatments to cancer patients in the UK faster via both the adult and children’s network of centres. These are hubs where promising cancer treatments – including small molecule drugs, surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and vaccines – are safely tested through clinical trials.

Professor David Cameron, Edinburgh ECMC co-lead, inset, said: “We are thrilled that Edinburgh has secured this funding. This award represents a critical investment in our research infrastructure, equipping us with the key laboratory and clinical tools needed to advance the understanding and treatment of cancer for the benefit of people in Scotland and beyond.

“It will be used to support essential posts in the ECMC – such as research nurses, data managers and specialised laboratory technicians – that will help us develop and test new treatments for a variety of different cancers, including ovarian, breast and bowel cancers.” Every year, around 31,700 people are diagnosed with cancer in Scotland, and around 15,900 people die of the disease.

Victoria Steven, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Scotland, said: “This crucial investment is recognition of the fantastic research taking place in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

“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 Scotland, to help more people survive.

“Cancer survival has doubled since the early 1970s in the UK 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.”