Glasgow And Edinburgh Win Cancer Funding

Cancer researchers are to benefit from £35m funding for 17 new experimental drug centres across the UK aimed at turning scientific discoveries into effective treatments.

The Beatson Institute at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow and the Medical Oncology Unit at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh are among the new centres due to receive around £2m each over the next five years.

The network will be overseen by Cancer Research UK, which will provide funding with the government from April 2007 to cover the clinical, laboratory, and NHS costs that enable centres to use different sources for research.

Professor Herbie Newell, director of translational research at Cancer Research UK, said: “This initiative will provide the vital infrastructure to help laboratory scientists, clinicians, nurses and support staff accelerate research that benefits patients. This investment will promote research into the development of new drugs and test individualisa-tion of patient care over the next five years.”

Andy Burnham, the UK health minister, added: “Significant progress has been made in improving cancer services since the launch of the cancer plan six years ago. Cancer death rates are falling. We are not complacent though, and this important investment in experimental cancer medicine means that patients will receive faster access to improved, safer treatments, and the highest quality patient care.”