£1.5 million boost for cancer centre
Cancer experts have received a major funding boost to help develop new medicines.
The £1.5 million investment will help fund pioneering research at the Edinburgh Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) for the next five years.
The renewed funding comes from Cancer Research UK and the Chief Scientist Office.
New therapies
Investment will allow doctors and scientists in Edinburgh to develop better cancer treatments. It will also enable them to test new ways of detecting and monitoring the disease.
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.
Clinical trials
The Edinburgh ECMC is one of 20 centres around the UK focused on creating new cancer therapies and vaccines and testing them in a clinical setting.
In the past ten years, ECMCs around the UK have delivered 1,500 early phase clinical trials of new therapies, spanning 35 different types of cancer. This has enabled 18,000 patients to access innovative new treatments.
The Centres have raised more than £150 million towards clinical trials and pre-clinical research in experimental cancer medicine.
Early phase clinical trials are essential if new treatments for cancer are to be developed. The ECMCs are uniquely placed to deliver these trials, and this investment means that Scotland will continue to play a leading role in the ECMC network.
Partnership
The Edinburgh ECMC is a partnership between the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian, based at the Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre at the Western General Hospital.
Related Links
Edinburgh Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre network